HYDERABAD: Pointillism, a difficult art form to master offers much insight into the thought process of art practitioners. The rise of this technique was led by artists Georges Seurat and Paul Signac in Paris sometime in the mid-1880s. And celebrated artist the late Surya Prakash was a maestro of the style. The small dots and strokes always appeared perfectly blended together when seen from a distance. After Surya passed away in May 2019, his daughter Arun Khan opened an art gallery named Surya Gallery at Kondapur in October of the same year. The space has a collection of 34 of his major artworks and can be visited after scheduling an appointment beforehand. Now, his 82nd birth anniversary is being celebrated on Tuesday at the gallery as Arun invites personalities from the art fraternity.
The legendary artist of Hyderabad always called himself a colourist adding that an artist needs to go with the flow and not follow a specific philosophy. That’s how he famously stayed for a year in the United States of America just to study the different shades of autumn leaves to incorporate the same in his opuses. The leaves on canvas that he painted are both abstract and surreal but the colour palette tells where the exact shades come from as they appear almost real. He has left behind his artworks that encompass five decades of his life as an artist.
Talking about her father Arun quotes him, “‘Whatever you are doing you have to do it very sincerely, know and set aside your weakness. Do not let that disturb you. Search for your own strength and that will take you far. Think positively and work hard every day.’” He worked tirelessly to place Hyderabad at the front of India’s rich art heritage, and helped fellow artists and youth to expand the ways in which they could understand, experience, and appreciate art. Arun further adds, “Through his works, he not only celebrated the natural world but also challenged us to think and rethink our role in protecting environment.”
Saima Afreen
saima@newindianexpress.com
@Sfreen