Color and form are the subject of the abstract painting. It is completely non-representational. This approach to painting is also used to represent things that are not visual, such an emotion, sound, or spiritual experience. There are no rules or conventions to follow, no need to make it resemble anything.
The artist is interested in shape not subject, in seeing things without the history of past associations and reactions. It must be experienced intuitively. Like music, it can be analysed, but that is not the point of making it. Representational art is like prose: it is clear what is being said, or at least the subject of the piece is apparent. Abstract art is more like poetry, which requires the recipient to look for symbolism, hidden meanings and to see what is not visible. When you look at a great abstract work, you become aware of its sense of balance, harmony, emphasis, spatial order, but also the mystery of what makes it all come together as a great work.
The main problem with appreciating abstract art is the lack of anything familiar. Because there are no rules or language for reading such art, the viewer is left in a vacuum. The viewer needs to develop and then trust their intuitive reaction to the artwork. Below, we give you a few tips on how you can explore an abstract work:
1. Start by asking if you are trying to figure out what the work looks like or represents? If you are, try allow something to emerge purely from what you see.
2. Study the elements: the colors, the textures, the lines of the painting. Discover how they interact with each other.
3. Ask yourself what emotions the painting evokes. There may be a range of emotions so it is helpful to pay attention to this aspect from the first time you see the work. You can then see if your emotional response changes as you spend more time looking.
4. Finally, find out what the title of the painting is. Ask yourself how knowing this now influences what you see. Try not to let the title override your own original response, rather let it add another layer of understanding and appreciation.
Featured artworks, clockwise from top left:
Adimoolam K. M. - Untitled - 12"x12" - Offset on paper - Rs.4,300 Ganesh Haloi - Untitled - 12"x14" - Offset on paper- Rs.11,700 Dhruva Mistry - Kaliscape in spring - 7"x12" - Offset on paper - Rs.1,800 Babu Xavier - Emotional - 12"x9" - Offset on paper - Rs.3,000 Prabhakar Kolte - Untitled - 9"x9" - Offset on paper - Rs. 2,400 Rajesh Ambalkar - Untitled - 26"x20" - Lithograph - Rs.16,400 Manjula Padmanaban - Trialz - 25"x14" - Etching - Rs.11,300 Raza S. H. - Rajasthan (2) - 11"x11" - Offset on paper- Rs. 3,000
Art Intaglio is India''s first web superstore for Indian art, dedicated exclusively to art prints and multiples of modern and contemporary Indian artists.
We offer a wide range of Original Graphic Prints, Reproductions and Fine Art Prints for you to buy online. Most of these are Limited Edition Prints, numbered and hand signed by the artists.
This month we feature a selection of Black & White artwork from our collection. While all these works use different media and techniques, the absence of colour almost seems to amplify the artist''s intentions. It is almost as if what they are trying to say is so important that they Don''''t need colour - it would only be a distraction. The monochromatic color scheme also seems to add age and nostalgia to these works - a sense of history perhaps
S.H. Raza''s ''''Onkareshwar'''' uses black/white contrast to portray an impressionistic scene of this small riverside town and it''''s architecture. This work is quite unlike most of Raza''''s contemporary work, which makes it even more interesting.
Paramjit Singh''s graphic print uses texture to convey both sand and leaves, and the white space in the center just draws us magnetically into the work.
In Manjula Padmanabhan''s ''''Autumn, Summer, Spring'''' the illustration style reminds us of graphic novels and their story-lines, with the title adding another layer of mystery.
Krishna Sardar''s etching has twenty abstracted human figures that walk, run or simply sit still meditatively.
The bird hidden in the forehead of Anjani Reddy''s central character in ''''Nostalgia'''' makes us wonder if she''''s secretly longing to have her dreams take flight.
The framing and graininess of Ajit Seal''s ''''Furure Man II'''' remind us of an old photograph taken by the shore on a rough, windy day.
While T.Vaikuntam''s faces and people are generally bursting with colour, we see here a simple drawing that is striking for very different reasons.
And lastly, Fawad Tamkanath''s vases are almost like heirlooms handed down by older generations, but eventually forgotten.
If you liked these works, feel free to search by theme or medium on our website and we are sure you can find plenty of other fascinating works that your are sure to love!
Art Intaglio is India''s first web superstore for Indian art, dedicated exclusively to art prints and multiples of modern and contemporary Indian artists.
We offer a wide range of Original Graphic Prints, Reproductions and Fine Art Prints for you to buy online. Most of these are Limited Edition Prints, numbered and hand signed by the artists.
We have recently been featured in BBC Good Homes, Hindustan Times Cafe and Society Interiors. To view click on the link below.
Abdul Salam was born in 1971 in Kolkata, and trained as a printmaker. He is the recipient of several awards, including the AIFACS Award and the West Bengal State Academy Award. His work has also been exhibited nationally and internationally in several prestigious shows and galleries.
His etchings are spare with their use of bright colours and textured white space.
Abdul is interested in the division of space into light and dark, and forms into known and unknown. His works therefore have a dual character - a coloured zone of known objects and a white on white embossed zone which appears to the viewer only with the play of light and shadow. This dual character creates both a painterly quality and a sculptural quality.
Featured artworks, clockwise from top left:
Bengal Village I - 22"x16" - Etching - Rs.14800 Red Vase - 14"x21" - Etching - Rs.14500 Day Dream - 24"x20" - Etching - Rs.17300 Landscape - 19"x14" - Collograph - Rs.12700 Beginning - 18"x20" - Collograph - Rs. 14800 One Root - 23"x12" - Collograph - Rs.13700 5th December - 20"x20" - Etching - Rs.16700 Beginning II - 12"x16" - Etching - Rs. 10900
Art Intaglio is India''s first web superstore for Indian art, dedicated exclusively to art prints and multiples of modern and contemporary Indian artists.
We offer a wide range of Original Graphic Prints, Reproductions and Fine Art Prints for you to buy online. Most of these are Limited Edition Prints, numbered and hand signed by the artists.
After last fortnight''s festive selection, this fortnight we return to our contemporary collection to focus on women printmakers. Here are some new arrivals by contemporary women printmakers that are wideranging in their themes, and very affordable too.
(Featured above, clockwise from top left)
Nature, winds and the seasons are all part of Rajni Sahni''s wonderful etchings. Spiritual beauty - Etching - 7900
Oli Ghosh translates her nomadic experiences into tactile visual art. From my beloved - Mixed Media - Rs.15500
Shuchi Kapoor evokes the Corbusian landscape and textures of Chandigarh in her work. Untitled - Etching - Rs.6700
Committed printmaker Kavita Shah explores the process of a small repetitive action going on and on to make an interesting pattern and form. Untitled - Lino Cut & Etching - Rs.12900
Sujata Purkayashta muses on the mysteries of creation in her work. Genesis - Wood Cut - Rs.6800
Archana Hande has a witty take on the balance of the traditional belief system and the call of cosmopolitanism. Lip and moods for sale - Digital / Block Print - Rs.15500
Writer and artist Manjula Padmanabhan is inspired by the hybrid - the idea of ''mixed rather than ''pure'' ancestry. Carpet man - Etching - Rs.19200
Shanta Gohain''s woodcut insistently returns our gaze back and makes us reflect. Eye - Wood Cut - Rs.30600
We are also looking for talented young artists that are interested in being placed into residency programs, as well as those who''''d like us to buy or represent their work. Do let us know if you happen to be an artist or know someone that might be interested. Drop us an email at info@artintaglio.in with some work samples, and we will get in touch with you.
For further assistance please call Kunal on 09820158625 or Harsha on 09920872050 or e-mail us on info@artintaglio.in
Art Intaglio participated in SIPA 2008 at Seoul, Korea, from 18 October 2008 to 22 October 2008.
SIPA is an Art Fair dedicated to the Edition Works of Print and Photography Art.
At SIPA-2008, 70 art galleries from 13 countries participated. Art Intaglio was the only Indian participant.
Art Intaglio showcased prints of Achyut Palav, Jehangir Sabavala, Jogen Chowdhury, Lalu Prasad Shaw, Paramjit Singh, Paresh Maity, Prokash Karmakar and Yogesh Rawal.
