“If the artist has outer and inner eyes for nature, nature rewards him by giving him inspiration.” – Wassily Kandinsky
The Essence of Abstraction
Abstraction in painting involves transforming natural scenes into expressive forms that emphasize colour, shape and texture rather than the realistic representation. Bhat’s artworks are a cache of agitated, distorted and fragmented shapes, altering colours, contrasting hues and bold brushwork to convey emotions and the essence of the changing landscapes due to various ecological conditions. This approach allows for a personal interpretation of nature, to explore deeper emotional connections.
A Journey of Artistic Evolution
The continuous practice over the years, despite Jayaram’s involvements in business, has also encouraged experimentation with materials and techniques, allowing the artist to incorporate myriad textures and mixed media. This results in artworks that invite to engage with them on multiple levels, fostering a unique relationship between the observer and the natural world. Artist has manipulated colours to suggest light, using warm hues to evoke warmth or cool tones for a more sombre mood. Play of light not only shapes the visual aspects of abstract landscape paintings but also serves as a powerful tool for conveying his mood and emotion, whether it’s calm or restless.
Environmental Commentary Through Art
These artistic expressions serve not only as visual documentation but also as poignant reminders of the ongoing climate crisis, urging audiences to engage with and respond to the changing landscapes around them. By applying different layers of paint with varying thicknesses, Bhat has achieved a rich, tactile quality. The quick, energetic strokes allow for dynamic surface variations that catch light and draw the eye to see through the randomly and accidentally created layers and effects. The use of sharp angles, swirling lines, and overlapping forms creates a visual rhythm, evoking the feelings of energy and unrest.
Capturing Nature’s Transient Beauty
Whether it’s the passage of time, seasonal evolution, reflecting nature’s ever-changing moods, or the cyclical nature of life, Jayaram Giliyal Bhat has succeeded in capturing fleeting beauty inherent in each moment and transience as well as seized the splendour and the essence of nature’s movement and vitality.
Exhibition Details
A solo show by Jayaram Giliyal Bhat ‘Transforming Earthscapes’ is being held at the Indian Institute of World Culture, Bangalore from 22nd -25th February, 2025.
Image Courtesy: Jayaram Giliyal Bhat
Alka is an artist and art writer with a diverse career spanning teaching, e-learning projects with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), and editorial work. An alum of the Government College of Art, Chandigarh (BFA) and Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (MFA, PhD), she has been recognised with numerous prestigious awards and honours.
