There is no beginning and no end in Srikant Dhunde’s paintings. An expert in abstract art for over 25 years now, artist Srikant’s basic source of inspiration is nature. Though the whole portrayal of nature is not evident in his paintings, upon observing each frame carefully, one will be surprised to notice how beautifully the artist has incorporated the elements of nature into his frames. Aptly titled Connected - Disconnected, the latest art show of Srikant Dhunde at Iconart Gallery portrays the best of abstract expressionism. “Abstract art is like writing poetry. You don’t pre-plan anything. Just start off with a colour and then follow wherever your instincts take you,” the artist explained.
A graduate from Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai, he is known for his sketches with free flowing lines. And that definitely shows in his paintings. Free flowing strokes, dabbed with splashes of bright and subtle colours form a close knit unlimited relations on the canvas. Layers of colours complementing each other as the artist puts out his emotional outbursts of rage or delight on the canvass, describing his state of mind at that point of time. Believing in the simplicity of vision, Srikant recreates the world around him by modifying the forms, the birds, animals bereft of the details and treats them like graphic symbols.
“At times my brush just dips into a can of fresh paint and takes over, as if to connect and bond with a naked directness, on to the surface. The traces of reality long gone, in the burst of emotions and thoughts, connected yet disconnected,” he explained. “The best part of abstract art is that it is never planned. New relations form between lines, hues, tones, textures, between splashes of paint that are allowed to drip poetics. Theese are new realities filtered with an intense passion and cannot be measured analytically.”
The size of the canvasses are huge and look like 10 frames representing just one frame. “I like giving my own symbols to represent nature and its elements,” he said.
The curator of Iconart Gallery Avani Rao Gandra believes that Srikant Dhunde is perhaps one of the best abstract artists in the state. “Though we do not have many people appreciating abstract art in Hyderabad. Srikant has managed to make a name for himself. He started with it and is also living with it. Though economic constraint was a huge factor, he still never gave up. He was passionate and stood as an example to many artists.
The show is on till 7 pm today at the Iconart Gallery.