Recently, Shivani Gupta (D504, The Crescent) showcased her paintings in a few exhibitions. We met her to know about this passion. Here are a few excerpts.
“I think my love for painting is inbuilt. Not just painting, I stand awestruck by almost everything around me — be it dance, music, literature, home decor, architecture, psychology; the spectrum is 360 degrees. Practically though, painting was not even my hobby. Dormant all this while, it surfaced in the free time that COVID gave.”
Regarding her favourite artists, “I find MF Hussain’s art extremely humane, powerful and pure. My other favourites are Van Gogh and Caillebotte for their strokes and precision, Ganpati Hegde for his colour schemes, compositions and meaning, and all the Indian tribal/ethnic arts like gond, worli, Kerala mural, pichwai, pattachitra, etc. for their natural colour tones and powerful depiction of character and story matured over from centuries of work.”
On her exposure to exhibitions in Delhi, she said, “Painting exhibitions in Delhi are fun and absorbing. They provide a platform to showcase, interact and stay connected. Art is blossoming in India with more young people taking it up; technology and AI are adding another dimension to it. Exploration and experimentation with styling, material, techniques, technology, human mind and emotions are going on. The market of art in India is catching up. It’s making a powerful mark on the world map too, though we were at our peak best centuries ago. Today you can see traditional work, fusion and out-of-the box new work, all coming up parallel. The scale is expanding too.”
Her mantra to the young artists: “Feel a connection within and stay receptive, open and true to yourselves. Learn as much as one can… the techniques, skills, about the artists — new and previous, Indian and international, their visions and how art has evolved since its embryonic stage till date. Don’t limit yourself, but also check on distractions. This will always keep your work authentic and convincing, rendering it meaning, beauty and power.”
How she sees art: “If I am a point of light, the rays that emit out of me have an endless distance to travel in all directions. I can only hope to keep going for as long as I can in my physical capacity. For now, I’ll be working on portraits to translate on canvas the depths of human nature, emotions and character, and Hindu Gods, Goddesses and nature for their divinity and purity. I’m currently working with charcoal, acrylic and oil media.”
Shivani has now delved into professional art. “There’s no more joy than seeing a smile on someone’s face after delivering a commissioned artwork. Focus will always be on personal inner journey and self-exploration through art and, if possible, leaving something out there for the people to examine and cherish.” She added, “Taking up art as a profession has made my exposure and experience with fine arts more rounded and wholesome”
Samvada wishes Shivani all the best for her future endeavours.
