It is important to express oneself...provided the feelings are real and are taken from you own experience.” Berthe Morisot once had famously quoted and the art show Stories of Happiness by artist Shivanand Basavanthappa is an inquiry into his life and the encounters he has had. The former exhibition officer at National Gallery of Modern Art and a veteran artist in his own right, Shivanand has always been one who has been known for his creative prowess and artistic intelligence.
The way he captures the settings around him and creates vibrant and conceptual narratives is in itself wonderful. In the art show the artist has mainly tried to explore the up and downs of the life of human beings both the experiences he has had through his own viewpoint and some of them which he has seen people encounter. The artist through his work tries to depict how everyone is trying to pursue happiness in their life and in the process how one gets embroiled in situations and moments in life and how these moments form a vital part of one’s memory. His oeuvres are a result of the spark ignited by the inner instinct of exhibitionism, so tenderly and willfully nurtured by his loving parents and close ones during his childhood.
His works are a tribute to the continuous and collective accumulated impressions triggering a series of impulses resulting in the manifestation of art through a variety of mediums. Our culture, values, ethics and traditions form the core component of all the romance of the brush on the canvas. The Journey which is the amazing quality of the ‘unpredictable inner being’ makes soul searching, a roller-coaster ride! His journey as an artist is no different. His brush and experiences with all forms and all kinds of work made him traverse the terrain apart from bringing him awards and recognition at national level.
Some of the stellar works in the show are works which depict some day to day elements which include old letter stamps, agreement papers, and memories of the artist seeing an elephant doing acrobatics in a circus, old letters, and agreement copies, colourful animals which all collectively form significant nostalgic memories. Speaking about the show Shivanand says, “In the art show I have tried to depict all those memories which were close to me, more about the struggles I have been through since my school days and how the experiences taught me many things.” A nice way to end the year with some wonderful nostalgic memories. The art show is on at Gallery 9, Navratan Antiques and Art, from December 24 to January 5, 2017.
— The writer is an art expert and curator.
