Artist Ritu Gupta tells Divya Kaushik that her present Radha Krishna series pays a tribute to miniature and Kangra style of painting
Her Radha and Krishna do not meander in the gardens of Vrindavan or along side the lake, under the shade of Kadamba tree. She has created her own landscapes, that might remind you of the scenic beauty of the mountains, as the backdrop of her Radha and Krishna series. Kanpur-based artist Ritu Gupta follows the traditional miniature technique and adds her own elements to give the painting a different look. For example, her paintings define the eternal romance of Radha and Krishna and the colours are so bright that they appear to be narrating the stories of their romance, but if you will notice the jewellery and the clothes that the two wear, you will find that it is subtle and minimal. “Radha and Krishna are presented as part of the modern world. In most of the ancient style of paintings you will find that their images are heavily decorated as they were created keeping in mind the actual times when Radha and Krishna graced the Earth. I have imagined both in the present times,” shared Gupta and added that she chose to carry on with her Empowering love series because she noticed that people are losing interest in the Kangra and miniature style of art.
“Their popularity is either confined to the region where there are artists still doing them, or they are being bought by others and being sold at high rates. Some fancy borders and little changes are done to make the paintings look more royal and lavish and the actual credit for the work is not given to the artists who actually do that. So while I was thinking how can I do my bit to rekindle the interest, I thought why not add some modern elements to the miniature art. There are interesting borders and landscape has been changed completely. I was inspired by the places I have visited to create the backdrop of the paintings. Attention has been paid to the detailing. Even the motifs on Radha’s lehenga are clearly visible. Taking a clue from miniature paintings I have used bright colours but there are dull tones too in the series,” shared the self-taught artist, who started painting as a hobby and her first series of works was dedicated to various artforms and styles in India. It focussed on different regions and was called Shades of India.
Second she started working on Shri Yantra. “It is a yantra formed by nine interlocking triangles, radiating out from the central point or the bindu. Each triangle depicts male and female energy. While working on the series I placed Shiv and Parvati, Vishnu and lakshmi at those triangles, representing the male and female energy. I found a sense of relief. It was like meditation, imagining the energies at the different levels of the triangles. It is said that the Shri Yantra represents the beauty of the three worlds — hell, heaven and earth. It is also called as nav chakra and it is said that various deities reside in the nine layers. Together the nine triangles are interlaced in such a way as to form 43 smaller triangles in a web symbolic of the entire cosmos or a womb symbolic of creation. Together they express non-duality,” explained the artist.
She expressed that even in future she wants to work on the series that combines spirituality, modern elements and represents ancient styles and techniques. The exhibition of her works will begin at Open Palm Court from July 1.