Between existence and non-existence lurks a mystery and water-colour is one of the mediums that is very competent to unveil that mystery. Every being contains within it some sort of unfathomable enigma. The painting or poetry tries to enter deeper into that enigma and extracts from it a kind of inscrutable essence of eternity. This is what the water-colours of Sudip Roy do. As a medium water-colour appears very simple.
Spread the loaded brush, pigment will automatically flow from deeper to lighter tones, from essential or virtual to the void. But every practitioner of the medium knows how difficult it is to control or have a command over the colour-tones and the smudges! The objective of water-colour is to touch the chord of that infinity without much gesture of seriousness.
In February-March 2016 Sudip exhibited a series of his abstract paintings at Aakriti Art Gallery,Kolkata that he captioned ‘Odyssey’ & was done both in oil and water-colour. These abstractions contained in them two distinct dimensions. One was musical sensibility, the other was the time. The expressions differed when he changed the medium. In oils there was a kind of structural integrity, while in water-colours there was more of lyricism and congenial fluidity, also a mysterious play with light and shadow.
These characteristics of water-colour can be detected in the present series shown in this exhibition. Here his subjects are simple, known objects and scenes we always see around us. The subjects can be divided in a few catagories: landscapes, particularly scenes of rivers and boats, various architectural views, day to day happenings in urban and rural life, the hermits in different attires etc. And there is also a series of toilet-scene of a young lady, where the physical beauty is dexterously explored. Through the simplicity and comprehensibility of the subjects the artist introduces an incomprehensible and intangible sensibility that heightens the inner essence towards a transcendental aestheticism.
He does it through the treatment of the medium, where he moves from reality to void, where he disintegrates reality towards a pulsating space. The space speaks of an intrinsic realization and pervades it with a kind of transcendentalism. In form he disintegrates naturalism towards an impressionist and post-impressionist trend. In previous abstract pieces there was an expressionist trend in his form; in these works of the present show he is more lucid and lyrical.
These are a few of Sudip’s water-colour works shown in this exhibition, through which the artist posits the essence of his thoughts on the life and reality. Within the reality he creates different sorts of mystery. There is mysticism, poetry and serious concern about the life and contemporary society. At the first sight what appears to be very commonplace turns to be a serious concern, when we look deeply into it. The artist thus creates an enigma that expresses his poetic self.
After the show at Aakriti Art Gallery the exhibition will move to Jehangir Art Gallery at Mumbai.