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As I entered Chawkandi there was
not much by way of initial impact. The walls were bare except for
the eight or nine paintings the artist was exhibiting. The piece de
resistance was” The Lace Tablecloth”. A dazzling white table
cover of synthetic lace spilling over from the tableside into
languorous folds onto the floor, an ivory porcelain teapot, cup and
saucer rest atop the table. The Lipton teabag labels hanging outside
the pot are the only other spots of colour in this white on white
painting. A pleasing composition no doubt but it is the eerie
perfection of craftsmanship which is somewhat unnerving. Now one
understands why Shakil has always taken badaam to enhance his
eyesight. It is in fact a very a controlled display of hand skill
and seeing power. The multihued durree, aging photograph, old
lantern, and books is also flawless in execution and makes an eye
catching painting. A landscape painted in the style of the old
masters, suitably aged with artificial cracks is admirable but the
catch is in the frame. From afar it appears to be an antique gold
frame – except that its not – the entire appearance is
simulated. Shakil has painted the frame contours, decorative beading
and border panels with an extremely life like balance of light and
shade. The effect is unbelievably real.
Even though he imparts a
remarkable degree of photo finish to his work Shakil declares that
he has had no trysts with the camera. He insists that photographs
carry technical defects and are no match for the real thing. He
prefers to paint from direct observation where he can focus on each
and every object individually to his own satisfaction.
An artist can be recognized by
his style, but when themes recur often or stay within the same ambit
for a prolonged period, a state of
“static” develops. Artists who thrive on change have
creative ripples pulsing through their work. Shakil’s paintings
are high on technical skills but low on imagination. Only two or
three paintings can be termed marginally thought provoking. Subjects
pertaining to denim jackets, leather handbags and wooden doors are
now passé. Bland, complacent art does not jog the senses.
Still life is no longer still,
it has become so ‘alive’. Super realists in America like Janet
Fish, Scott Fraser, Wayne Thiebaud, George Fischer, Harriet Shor etc
are re-inventing realism with new themes and exciting picture-making
strategies. Artists are learning to play new colour games and though
they are still focusing on the ordinary and the commonplace, their
angles have become dramatic and unconventional. Robert Keyser writes
of ‘jazzy’ colour that ‘sings ‘.Other painters talk of
‘bounce’ or ‘zing’. But they are all after the same thing
– colours that come together with a magical rightness. They are
also exploring the power of space to make design dynamic and
maximize impact. The new realists have thoroughly updated still life
with inventive compositional devices. For example Janet Fish first
captured attention with innovative still life formats consisting of
giant frontal views of plastic wrapped supermarket produce like
oranges, tomatoes, peppers, bananas, broccoli etc in bright trays
that fill the picture space. This combination of pop art colour and
extreme spatial compression had not been seen before. In her water
tumbler paintings of oddly shaped tinted glassware, colour literally
zigzags across the canvas. This kind of colour ‘glissando’– a
slide through the spectrum like a pianist’s thumb across the
keyboard, is thrilling to watch. What is most interesting to observe
in these new developments is the use of highly realistic techniques
to create thoroughly abstract patterning. These artists are using
realistic devices as a vehicle for abstract design. This mingling of
opposites has given a new lease to realism without damaging its
intrinsic core. It has become more imaginative, youthful and fresh.
Classicism will always be tempered with grace, elegance and old
world charm but this new look is experimental, creative and very
appealing.
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New realism
