Artist Ashima Thukral’s paintings, with deep metaphorical moorings, are highly structured compositions that communicate intangible through the plethora of symbols.
‘Of all the arts, abstract painting is the most difficult. It demands that you know how to draw well, that you have a heightened sensitivity for composition and for colours, and that you be a true poet. This last is essential.’ ~ Wassily Kandinsky.
Ashima Thukral, who is starting her artistic journey with a solo exhibition at Aks art gallery, meets the requirements of the painterly prerequisites propounded by Russian master painter and theorist Wassily Kandinsky, though her paintings as they do fall in pure abstract category. Her paintings, with deep metaphorical moorings, are highly structured compositions that communicate intangible through the plethora of symbols which she employs as a vehicle of her expression.
Her acrylic paintings display the quality that only acrylic colour can achieve if used adeptly; she has exploited the acrylic medium and used its dual character of water as well as oil colour, keeping its fast drying speed in mind. The other key element is the variation of textures, both tangible and simulated, created to produce structured layers with loads of colour values, lighting desired layers where as leaving others in shadow. The continuum of hues she experimented with accentuates her visual explorations that digs deep in to the spiritual realm.
Ashima’s paintings evoke a host of associations and take us in to the mythological world. The forms and symbols are not easy to find and one has to almost excavate them from the complex assortment of paraphernalia she has used as pictorial tools; the triangles, Squares, swastika, spirals, circles, Trishula, Tilak mark, image of Buddha, dry leaves, and huge number of shapes and forms that reflect spiritual realities we experience around us. The symbols and images may be endlessly complex but its true mission is both simple and universal – that is to create spiritual awakening.
The spiral, used repeatedly by Ashima is probably the oldest symbol in human civilizations. It is a symbol of the goddess, the womb, fertility, continual change, and the evolution of the universe, where as swastika, the symbol of fortune, ancient sun sign denote the indirect way that divinity is apprehended - by intuition and not by intellect. The major hues in her works - red, amber, sepia, rusty red – are all warm colours that reflect energy and positive vibrations. The trishula and triangle, the symbol of Lord Shiva, denotes his absolute being. It represents the element fire and portrays the process of spiritual ascent and liberation elucidated in the scriptures. There are many other pictorial elements, tiny figures, line drawings which are akin to the Indian folk art, mostly found in tribal paintings.
The artists, who are just starting, normally appear restlessness and uncertain about their true inclinations; but Ashima seems to be in a good control of her creative insights and displays commendable visual order in thought, philosophy, medium and execution.
The exhibition “RENDEZVOUS” is on till Feb 27 at the Aks Art Gallery, Adarsh Nagar, Opp. Samarth Aishwarya, Oshiwara, Andheri (W), Mumbai-400053, Timing: 11am to 8pm.
FAQs
abstract art, painting, sculpture, or graphic art in which the portrayal of things from the visible world plays little or no part. All art consists largely of elements that can be called abstract—elements of form, colour, line, tone, and texture.
Why is abstract very hard to interpret? ›
Abstract concepts without visual aids can be difficult to comprehend because they lack direct sensory [1] , physical, or perceptual representation [2].
What is the message of abstract art? ›
Abstract art is often seen as carrying a moral dimension, in that it can be seen to stand for virtues such as order, purity, simplicity and spirituality. Since the early 1900s, abstract art has formed a central stream of modern art.
Why is abstract art so hard? ›
Abstract art doesn't contain recognizeable objects, so there is nothing to grasp or hold onto. This can be very confusing, even threatening, to some who are not used to assigning their own meaning to what they see before them.
What is an abstract answers? ›
For a research paper, an abstract typically answers these questions: Purpose: What is the nature of your topic/study and why did you do it? Methods: What did you do, and how? Results: What were your most important findings?
What is the idea behind abstract art? ›
Abstract art is art that does not represent an accurate depiction of visual reality, communicating instead through lines, shapes, colours, forms and gestural marks. Abstract artists use a variety of techniques to create their work, mixing traditional means with more experimental ideas.
What does the brain tell us about abstract art? ›
In particular, I claim that abstract art frees our brain from the dominance of reality, enabling it to flow within its inner states, create new emotional and cognitive associations, and activate brain-states that are otherwise harder to access.
What makes abstract art good or bad? ›
Deep thought goes into good abstract art
Picasso's quote gives us a window into what distinguishes good abstract art from bad abstract art. Good abstract art has a message, a concept, a “something.” Even though the technique may seem simple and haphazard, it emerges from a place of deep thought and great meaning.
What does poor abstract thinking mean? ›
A candidate who obtains a very low Abstract Reasoning score may struggle to see the 'big picture', conceptualise complex problems, detect relationships between ideas, or learn new skills quickly.
What is the key of abstract art? ›
Abstract art is about the balance or unbalance of form, line, composition, and color to achieve harmony, or disarray. Some pieces may be focused on the method in which the piece is made and which materials are involved. Others focus on the movement of the paint across the canvas or panel.
The most important thing to understand about abstract art is that it does NOT have to have a meaning, narrative or even a singular explanation. The main purpose of abstraction is not to tell a story, but to encourage involvement and imagination.
Why abstract is very hard to interpret? ›
If you ask people why this is do, their answer would most likely reflect the belief that abstract words are hard to understand because they lack the fairly direct sensory referents that concrete words have.
What are two reasons that abstract art can be considered difficult to make? ›
Artists Answer: "Why is abstract art so hard?"
- "It's hard to get the right colour and composition to work for the brain to react. ...
- "You have to know the rules in order to break them." - ...
- "Because sometimes it's hard to know where to start or what step to take next." -
For some people abstract art will always make them feel uncomfortable because they don't know “what it's meant to be” and won't “get it”. But for others, because it leaves so many details unspecified and requires more of our imagination, those who enjoy their own creativity will always enjoy it.
What is abstract art in simple words? ›
Abstract art is a non-objective art form that breaks traditional, realistic art styles. It intends to inspire emotion and intangible experience, rather than telling a story or portraying realistic subjects.
What is abstract art in other words? ›
Abstract art, non-figurative art, non-objective art, and non-representational art are all closely related terms.
What is abstract art described as? ›
What is abstract art? works of art that have no reference at all to natural objects or works that depicts natural objects in simplified, distorted, or exaggerated ways.
What does it say about you if you like abstract art? ›
Abstract. Fans of abstract pieces tend to have more of an intellectual interest in art and the world around them. Much like fans of cubism, this can lead to them demonstrating argumentative qualities and presenting controversial ideas.
