New Delhi [India]: An Associate Professor with the College of Art, here, Rajkumar will be showcasing his digital artworks at a solo show titled ‘line of life’ to begin from February 27 until March 5, 2017, at Lalit Kala Akademi, Rabindra Bhavan.
Eminent sculptor of India Padma Shree and Padma Bhushan awardee Shri Ram V Sutar would inaugurate the show on February 27 at 5:00 pm. The exhibition would be until March 5, from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.
Rajkumar’s digital artworks are original digital paintings created using innovative multimedia techniques and imaginative concepts. Around 30 black and white exhibits, mostly portraits of Indian politicians and renowned personalities from different walks of life, provide an insight into Rajkumar’s creative approach in embracing the digital technique to realise his vision.
The series includes portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Dadasaheb Phalke, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, Lata Mangeshkar, Sachin Tendulkar, Anna Hazaare, Pranab Mukherjee, Narendra Damodardas Modi and Vilasrao Deshmukh who have inspired, influenced and shaped the artist’s life since his childhood.
“Portrait making is an important aspect for any artist. It reveals how an artist perceives a person he has portrayed on the canvas. I have observed, followed and researched a lot about these chosen subjects before depicting them on the canvas,” says Rajkumar about his paintings.
Inspired by the Baya weaver bird’s nest-building process, Rajkumar used the netted lines as a base for rendering his black and white digital portraits.
“I was intrigued by the hard work done by the male Baya bird to build its nest. A male Baya is known to make more than 500 trips to complete a nest. The bird uses its strong beak to collect and strip the strands of paddy leaves and rough grasses and to weave and knot them while building the nest. Often built hanging over the water, the nest is so ingeniously constructed – a retort-shaped structure with a central nesting chamber and a long vertical tube leading to a side entrance to the chamber – that it should be considered as a beautiful artifact,” says Rajkumar explaining the inspiration and technique behind his artworks.
The lighting technique also plays an important role in these digital paintings. The black and white criss-cross lines coupled with light and shadow give an illusionary depth to the portraits.
Rajkumar has followed the Dutch painter Rembrandt’s lighting technique to illuminate his subjects. Rembrandt lighting is characterised by an illuminated triangle under the eye of the subject on the less illuminated side of the face.
“Rembrandt lighting technique is commonly used in studio portrait photography. It helps to produce an image that is both natural and compelling. I used the technique to create an illusion of depth in my portraits,” says Rajkumar.
The exhibition aptly titled ‘line of life’ portrays people worth remembering and is a testimony to a deep human sentiment, the desire of the artist to leave a mark. (ANI)