“I honour myself. As the divine feminine blends with the divine masculine, I now come into balance.”-Trudy Vesotsky.
Nature and creation can repeatedly be seen interlacing in the art of Vijay M Dhore. Along with exploring the harmony in nature, the artist captures its grandeur, complexity, and eventually its transformative or metamorphic processes through his silhouettes, stark contrasts and intriguing abstractions. The diverse forms created consciously, or even the ones exploited when formed accidentally in textural experimentations, act as a metaphor for growth and regeneration in artistic expressions.
The representation of man and woman in nature has been a recurring theme in his recent series of paintings- Shrijan, where the symbolic illustrations do not constitute an exact language where meaning may be precisely determined. Overtones and echoes of the human correlation to the environment, concentrating on the notions of accord, vulnerability, and the interplay between genders, mingle with the inherent meanings of shapes, colours and codes. These depictions range from commemorating this symbiotic and dynamic connection to reflecting on the ultimate act of procreation.
Religious symbols have been tempered by subtlety and agility with noticeable expertise to convey the interconnectedness of life and the spiritual magnitude of existence. Vijay expresses the profound narratives of creation embedded in various faiths and traditions. Symbolic and esoteric imagery of Tantra art, the cyclical viewpoint, rooted and engaged in energetic and transformative acts, reflects at a few places discovering the node of spirituality, sensuality, desire, and the human experience of intimacy. Numerous components such as seeds, buds, flowers or some specific mythological motifs have been manipulated by the artist to convey amorousness in a symbolic and often elusive approach.
Distilling natural forms, colours and concepts into non-representational elements, catching just the essence, momentum, or patterns, has been expressed without literal depiction. There is deliberate use of shadow and light to create striking contrasts and shapes, and Vijay’s individualistic technique emphasises forms, conveys mood, or simplifies complex panoramas. Silhouettes and subdued patterns in the background often add a sense of drama, clandestine, or grace to compositions, allowing viewers to focus on the essential outlines and contours while leaving room for vision and understanding.
The theme of creation in art often explores the extended metaphor of male and female figures as vehicles of life, evolution, and transformation. The mystical representations, gestures, and visual storytelling convey the profound roles of masculinity and femininity, their energies, and a joining with the divine in the celestial dance of life, suggesting philosophical perceptions of proliferation. Reflecting upon the cultural, theoretical and personal contexts, the symbolic and dreamlike imagery crops up in Vijay Dhore’s textural paintings to reconnoitre the subconscious aspects of procreation, fertility and life cycle, to communicate deeper than the external actuality. His art provides a rich tapestry of encounters and his realizations while researching numerous subjects, convictions, and sentiments.
Vijay M Dhore is on a continuous quest to design a revered space, his reflective spiritual concepts through his rich visual language that mirrors the cosmic principles of creation and divine energy. Spirituality has been dealt with more abstractly or conceptually in Srijin. Dominant black, subdued greys, hopeful yellows, and deep blues, getting a contrast at some places with a standing-out red in his artworks, add to the cosmic sequence and the eternal cycle of creation and renewal.
The solo show ‘Shrijan’ of the paintings of Dr Vijay M Dhore is being held at Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi from 15th January 2024 and will be inaugurated in the presence of Bheem Malhotra- Chairman, Ravinder Sharma-Vice Chairman and Kanwal Pal- Secretary, CLKA.
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.
