SERENE – S. Harshavardhana
Curatorial Advisor: Uma Nair
Dedicated to Thomas Gray
The title of this show penned by S. Harshavardhana is taken from the famous lines of Thomas Gray, the poet, who wrote, ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.’ This poem has bequeathed a number of famous titles and phrases to the world. But Gray’s use of language in this poem is masterly and filled with the beauty of melancholy.
This exhibition by S. Harshavardhana presents a suite of typical arrangements the artist invented for his studies – of geometry and symbolism in subtle/strong varying layers of colour fields placed in a precise formation. A great lover of India’s tribal traditions he translates tribal symbolism into a modernist mooring of elements that sift and sieve through the tapestry of time. Critically juxtaposed with each other, Harshavardhana’s paintings bring to life the connections between the quiescent triangular forms, which encapsulates the artist’s committed investigation of the ways in which individual artists perceive and experience form and colour.
The canvasses in this exhibition are reminiscent of the visual dynamics and perceptions of ancient Indian Puranic scrolls. These compositions allow Harshavardhana to examine colour relationships, and their emotive and psychological impact, in a relatively simple and stable format with the chromatic indices of the pair of triangles becoming the leitmotif. Colour is applied, in a restrained and even manner that minimizes any surface effect. The artist’s treatment of surfaces is pristine, elegant and otherworldly in their refinement.
https://www.artalivegallery.com/exhibitions/serene-s-harshavardhan.html