July 15, 2015
Before we talk about Sudip Datta and his paintings, we should take a look at his style. Expressionism in art started out more as a movement than as a style of art in the early part of the 1900’s. Further this movement is said to have had its beginnings in Germany, when people felt that mankind was being dehumanized by the effects of the industrial revolution. Its first effects could be seen in poetry as well as in paintings and later spread to various other forms of expression.
Their basic aim was to distance the prevalent styles from fixed traditions to attain a new vision of things. They wanted to present realism in a new light without the aid of popular beliefs and cultural ideologies. They distorted form and played more with colours to establish a range of emotions, anxieties and desires. Artists like Van Gogh, Edvard Munch etc were great contributors to this style.
Sudip Datta has always felt inspired by the expressionistic movement and his artworks are a wonderful example of this. Most of his paintings breathe life and tell a story or human emotions in a range of expressionistic flair. Minimal lines telling the maximum with the extravagant use of colours is what gives his paintings a fresh look at life itself. There is no surprise when a viewer at an exhibition is irresistibly drawn towards his paintings, because they see so much more than meets the eye.
From his selection of works, one can see “Womanâ€, a series which shows some stark realities of a woman’s existence. In “Grandeur†one can see a reflection of a royal setting. In the painting titled “Awakening†the amazing scene of a boat making its journey through the sea of life and the horizon has a partially covered moon, like a magically travel through time and space of man’s lifetime, a simply brilliant expression. In yet another called “Alone†it is a single figure standing and seems to be asking so many question to which many of us do not have adequate answers. A look through the gallery will be enough to convince you of his rare ability as an exceptional artist with a true penchant for expressionism.