<p>Thinking large and doing it big is usually on the mind of the artists but this time, the concept was turned on its head, since the organisers asked the artists to work on small canvases for an exhibition titled, Think Small!<br /><br /></p>.<p>A total of 55 works make the exhibition’s second edition an interesting amalgamation of works by senior artists – SH Raza, Sakti Burman, Anjolie Ela Menon, Thota Vaikuntam, Manu Parekh, Yusuf Arakkal, Rini Dhumal, Akkitham Narayanan, Shobha Broota, Senaka Senanayake, Paresh Maity, Maite Delteil, Sujata Bajaj and Jayasri Burman.<br /><br />The collection of small formats by the artists makes it intriguing for the art lovers. But one can appreciate only certain works which retain the theme of being done on small canvases and yet maintain their visual beauty.<br /><br />One such work has been done by Kumar Shinde. While the artist’s 60ft long mural at Shivaji Stadium Metro Station makes it difficult to believe that the artist could present his skill on a small canvas too, titled Cityscape II. Inspired by the construction and growing concrete jungle, the artwork has laser cut metal on an aluminium canvas depicting an abstract landscape.<br /><br />Other artists have also represented different moments of contemporary Indian art to converge them on small format. A piece by Apurva Desai from his portrait series is one such. His artworks ‘Michelangelo’ and ‘Van Gogh’ are both portraits made with cutting technique on board. “It is a tribute to the personalities who are no longer with us,” says the artist about his work as the viewer appreciates the transformation in the work with nut and bolts painted in contrast to the sunflowers in ‘Van Gogh’. “These depict the constructivity of life,” adds Apurva.<br /><br />One work which is not really small yet captivating is that of Jayasri Burman which manages to maintain the intricacies while reducing the original size of her canvas. “You are controlled in a small space because you put it on your lap and work. <br /><br />It is a different kind of sensitivity to work on smaller canvas but it gives me a lot of pleasure,” says Jayasri who enjoyed taking up the challenge and painted one woman on each of the two canvases. Sitting in a lotus pond, the women depict the necessity to be happy and content with whatever we have around us.<br /><br />The exhibition is on display at Art Alive Gallery, S-221 Panchsheel Park till September 10.</p>
<p>Thinking large and doing it big is usually on the mind of the artists but this time, the concept was turned on its head, since the organisers asked the artists to work on small canvases for an exhibition titled, Think Small!<br /><br /></p>.<p>A total of 55 works make the exhibition’s second edition an interesting amalgamation of works by senior artists – SH Raza, Sakti Burman, Anjolie Ela Menon, Thota Vaikuntam, Manu Parekh, Yusuf Arakkal, Rini Dhumal, Akkitham Narayanan, Shobha Broota, Senaka Senanayake, Paresh Maity, Maite Delteil, Sujata Bajaj and Jayasri Burman.<br /><br />The collection of small formats by the artists makes it intriguing for the art lovers. But one can appreciate only certain works which retain the theme of being done on small canvases and yet maintain their visual beauty.<br /><br />One such work has been done by Kumar Shinde. While the artist’s 60ft long mural at Shivaji Stadium Metro Station makes it difficult to believe that the artist could present his skill on a small canvas too, titled Cityscape II. Inspired by the construction and growing concrete jungle, the artwork has laser cut metal on an aluminium canvas depicting an abstract landscape.<br /><br />Other artists have also represented different moments of contemporary Indian art to converge them on small format. A piece by Apurva Desai from his portrait series is one such. His artworks ‘Michelangelo’ and ‘Van Gogh’ are both portraits made with cutting technique on board. “It is a tribute to the personalities who are no longer with us,” says the artist about his work as the viewer appreciates the transformation in the work with nut and bolts painted in contrast to the sunflowers in ‘Van Gogh’. “These depict the constructivity of life,” adds Apurva.<br /><br />One work which is not really small yet captivating is that of Jayasri Burman which manages to maintain the intricacies while reducing the original size of her canvas. “You are controlled in a small space because you put it on your lap and work. <br /><br />It is a different kind of sensitivity to work on smaller canvas but it gives me a lot of pleasure,” says Jayasri who enjoyed taking up the challenge and painted one woman on each of the two canvases. Sitting in a lotus pond, the women depict the necessity to be happy and content with whatever we have around us.<br /><br />The exhibition is on display at Art Alive Gallery, S-221 Panchsheel Park till September 10.</p>
