Gurdeep Singh, whose first exhibition in Delhi is being sponsored by the Art Indus gallery, at the Academy of Literature and Fine Art, is an artist with the rare capacity to evoke the quality of light inherent in colour. This is further reinforced by the element of sufism in his work which has its stylistic context in his using the imagery of Mughal miniatures, one of whose important themes was the portrayal of the colourful male and female religious mendicants India abounds in.It is, however, characteristic of the maturity of Mr Singh that he does not play to the gallery but chooses to highlight spiritually rather than the visual incongruity that sadhus are famous for. This restraint allows him to portray the inner light or noor rather than remaining at a superficial level of chiaroscuro.
In fact, he shuns the common light and shade effect of Renaissance art as it dips into illusionism and prefers to create luminosity by putting together a myriad of colours that, in subtle contrasts, communicate the glow of a fielding of glow-worms rather than the harsh aura of electric street-lights.
The strength of this artist lies in his belief in what he is doing-and he is too new to playing to the market. In time, one hopes he will leave behind the conventional symbolism and decorativeness that creeps into some of his work and free the spiritual from its archaic religious moorings in his future development.
At present, the artist convinces one with his painterly approach and refusal to overstate his case that it will be difficult and long as it is for anyone not willing to dance to the tune of the cash-register. But his success is assured.
-Suneet Chopra
Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.