Ameeta Kumar brings together a collection of flowerscapes and abstract paintings inspired by nature
Yellow paper cut into petals pasted on blue coloured cloth gives shape to bright, yellow sunflowers with long green stems rising out of the frame. It is one of the main attention — seeking and captivating paintings of Ameeta Kumar. The use of colours as well as the simplicity of the painting is exquisite and unique in its own way. Not having labelled any of her paintings, Kumar holds each of her paintings in equal awe and ardour. In an age of rapid shift from art to entertainment, the artist perseveres to uphold the sanctity of traditional art by painting on both canvas as well as cloth. Experimenting with the kind of background for her paintings which are mostly focussed on nature, she uses any base which she finds suitable like silk, cotton et al. Her working techniques include acrylic on canvas, cloth and paper.
Some paintings have paper on canvas or cloth on canvas, depending upon her idea about the painting. Retired from her teaching profession, she took to painting which has always been a part of her life. “I have been painting for the last three decades and now that I have more time on my hands, I do one painting a day if it’s not too complicated. Others may take more time depending upon the material I am working with,” says she. Displaying her best works at the Conventional Centre Foyer in Indian Habitat Centre, the artist proudly presents her collection of paintings with Flowerscapes and abstracts which she claims are the expressions of her inner self. Her paintings range from ethereal to concrete.
Done in black, silver and gold, her paintings reflect the complexities of existence. The symbols used in them are arbitrary and conventional. looking at painting means unravelling a code and that is what she endeavours to achieve through her art. The splash of colours on the canvas and sometimes using paper or cloth on canvas gives a unique touch to her paintings. Taking it as far as the metal work included in her paintings, “I like to paint. For the metal work, I ask the blacksmith to forge me a structure according to what I want from my art and then it’s just a play of colours.”