Most artists take inspiration from their surroundings but Divyaman Singh has always depicted his journey in life through art. His ongoing solo show ‘Esoteric’ is also a take on his life. We spoke to the artist to understand more about these artworks.
Seldom do we come across artists who experiment with both figurative and abstract artworks in the same exhibition. Divyaman Singh has boldly nailed this while serving a slice of his life on the canvas in his ongoing solo show ‘Esoteric’.
Describing his artworks, the artist says, “You are seeing a piece of me on the canvas. For these pieces, I have used my hands, as well as cloth and brush. When you see cosmos, the universe or an ocean, I can’t recall if I wanted to be there or if I was showing myself as part of that environment. I was only trying to replicate the emotions that I was experiencing while making the painting.”
There are 36 abstract artworks and seven figurative artworks on preview. Divyaman has added different techniques that separate abstract pieces from figurative ones. He has added beautiful textures in the former and played with bold colours in the latter to describe life’s despair times and agony. However, instead of using earthy browns, black, grey and white, he has reflected miseries of life through vibrant tones of green, orange and red.
He clarifies the decision for choosing these colours was unintentional. “I am unfamiliar with the science behind different colours and the emotions these colours reveal. I add colours basis their availability. If my colour stock gets over, I don’t hesitate to work with other colours. For example, in ‘Pilgrimage’ I only had green and black colours available with me. So, I painted with them,” he explains.
Divyaman hasn’t learnt art formally. He is a self-taught artist who makes painting keeping himself as the centerpiece. His journey as an artist started at the age of six. He recalls holding a brush in his hand when most children of his age were learning to write.
“To everyone’s surprise, I was the only one after my grandfather who showed interest in painting. At that time, I enjoyed drawing birds, elephants and fishes on paper and adding watercolours to them. Following my grandfather’s footsteps made him happy. It gave me a different kind of energy. I felt that I got those skills in legacy,” he shares.
But despite having an exposure to art at a tender age, he never considered taking it up as a profession. It always remained as a hobby that he eventually stopped practising when he got busy with his job. However, he rediscovered his love for art after 15 years in 2015.
“I was working in a transport company at that time. It was my wife’s birthday (who was then my girlfriend) but I didn’t had money to buy a gift for her. I thought of gifting her an oil painting (made by him) as it didn’t involve much money. That’s how art re-entered into my life,” he shares.
The artist is also showcasing figurative artworks. Titled as ‘The Unuttered Truth’, he has painted different characters on canvas but all of them have their mouths closed.
He explains, “These images show the reality in life. I have tried to show that everyone has their own problems. For instance, in ‘Endurance’, I have depicted the life of a woman labourer who has to carry the child, do work and collect bread and butter for living.”
The exhibition is being showcased at The Stainless Gallery, New Delhi between 6-7 March from 11am to 7pm. All the artworks were made during the two years of the pandemic.