PHYSICAL PROGRAMME
An exhibition of paintings in oil
By Jyoti Nagpal from Delhi
The exhibition will be inaugurated by Dr. Karan Singh on Tuesday, 29 March 2022 at 18:30
Film on the exhibition | Click here to watch
The Good Earth
Artist’s Perspective
I have a deep fascination for dense foliage and its changing colours in different seasons, which, to me are symbolic of the eternal cycle of life. I have watched the joyous tenderness of new life in spring turning into strong and lush fullness of summer, uncaring and abundant in its glory, its gradual maturing into the rich colours of autumn. And its graceful softening into the greyness of winter, having lived life to the full, ultimately making way for the new. In so doing, Nature seems to celebrate life in the simple acceptance of the discipline of existence.
Nature represents for me movement, mellowness, warmth, harmony, fulfilment, exuberance, and a celebration of life, indeed the very joie de vivre.
The recent pandemic made everyone painfully aware of the fragile nature of our ecosystem. It reminded us that Mother Nature has a lot of patience. She sends repeated warnings to humankind against misuse, abuse, and overuse of her resources before finally unleashing its fury. The pandemic was a rude realization of how helpless we are against the power of Nature. At the same time, Nature is benevolent and forgiving. She responds instantly to positive efforts of humanity to rectify mistakes.
This collection of paintings is an attempt to portray the beauty of Nature as I observe and perceive it. The lockdown period opened quite another aspect of Nature to me. It was a time for introspection while being cooped up inside homes, a time when one could hear the silence outside, when the skies became blue again instead of polluted grey, when mountain ranges became visible on the horizon, when deer and peacocks ventured out to reclaim their space, when new varieties of birds arrived in flocks, when colourful butterflies reappeared, when squirrels scampered up to you to pick food from your palm. It was a time for resurgence and renewal for Nature. The lockdown was simultaneously a tragedy and an awakening which I have tried to portray in my own way in many paintings of this series.
