Austin Konchira’s new collection of paintings tends towards monochromatic representations. The senior artist, whose recent works are on display at Alliance Francaise, says this is an idiomatic shift that settled in quite recently. Mostly done on large canvas, figures and forms meld in a continuum of mystifying blue or vibrant yellow. There is the occasional use of a softer shade of blue or a cool violet and such alluring play on the colour palette.
“The use of a single colour brings with it a unique visual experience. I began experimenting with it a few years back, for no apparent reason. But I am somehow drawn to the appeal of monochromatic paintings and it has tended to be a pattern in the collections done in the last three years,” says Konchira.
Blue apparently has seduced the artist, taking up entire canvas spaces, sprouting darker and paler shades as it flowers into a subliminal opulence. The romance was a surprise to him, says Konchira. “For the major part of my career, blue was a colour that I used very little. Except for a dab here and there, the bold blue was never present in my works. Just as the absence of blue was unintentional, this new-found fascination for the colour is also a surprise to me.”
The paintings experiment with geometric shapes and figures, so much so that the human figures are also expressed through sharp strokes. Sparsely populated as they are, the paintings rarely focus on faces or expressions. In the few that are peopled, it is more a melee of figures that are embedded in the monochromatic setting and hence a homogenous entity. The painting of the three Naga tribesmen stands out in the collection. The detailing of their costumes and weapons is given emphasis by setting them against a plain yellow backdrop. The painting was inspired by one of Konchira’s sabbaticals in the North East.
A largely self-taught artist, he relied on practice and the tips from artist Mahindra to compensate for the bachelors in art that he had to discontinue when teaching career beckoned. He has held solo exhibitions in Delhi, Kolkotta, Mumbai and Holland among other places. This is his 7th solo exhibition in the city. The exhibition will conclude on November 30.