O P Sharma held an exhibition of his recent works in acrylic on canvas at Lalit Kala Academy of Art, New Delhi. Having been a teacher and musician, Prof Sharma, former principal of School of Art, fuses his knowledge of art, philosophy and music in his works.

The veteran artist says, “For my recent work, I drew inspiration from visions that unite the sub-conscious and the conscious.”  His work is inspired by the spiritual and visual manipulation of Tantra, an ancient Indian philosophy, which expands pleasure, vision and ecstasy instead of suppressing them.

He uses graphic manifestation of Tantra, where nothing is left out and nothing can be added! In these paintings, one can see the tantalising interplay of colours which stand out because of the wisdom that has gone into using them in harmony where one colour enhances the other.

Sharma explains, “Tantra originated from the union of Shiva and Shakti, an intense practice of rituals and customs. Even though I do not practice that, as an artist, it remains a form of self-expression and is socially relevant. It delves into the source and the core of existence.”

If art empowers him with creative self-expression, then music gives him the focus for his work. He says, “I am most fascinated by the ‘madhya sur’ in the Sargam. Therefore, the centre is the most significant part of my canvas, which controls the entire painting.”  He also says that as ragas reflect different moods, his canvas too stands witness to the  mood and the moment that he is in.

Most of the paintings are rooted in the Mandala traditions that consist of a series of concentric form suggestive of a passage between different dimensions and ever-changing relationships. The universality of the Mandala is the principle of the centre. The centre, according to Sharma, is the beginning and origin of all forms, of all processes, including the extensions of form in to time.

Architecture too, influences his work, as the artist was part of the faculty at the school of planning and architecture for 20 years. The multiple intersection, the poised spaces and the harmony as well as the contrast of colours result in a series of fantastic kaleidoscopic visions.