Artistic journey
BHAWANI CHEERATH
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B.D. Dethan's new collection centres on the human form.
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STUDY IN BROWN: A painting from `Nude Complexion.'
He was flummoxed, says artist B.D. Dethan, when he was asked in a recent interview, "Where are the women in your paintings?" True. His works have dwelt on powerful themes but significant by their absence is the female form. Moving from the stark images of mangled forms and surreal images his works have displayed a raw energy that torments.
The journey from the `Rhythm of Life Series,' to `Fantasy,' `Kali,' `Parinamam' and `Faces' has seen the gradual softening in his choice of coloours and the scaling down of the harshness in the mood of his frames.
The latest `Nude Complexions' a collection of 15 frames in sepia-tinted skin tones is an exquisite unveiling of the beauty of the human form. One could not help asking, "How come your art never dwelt on the beauty of the female form in all these years?" He tells you that an exhibition of this kind has been on his mind for quite some time but it is just that these images crowded his mind's eye in the last few months. That is when he decided to finally put down on canvas the beautiful forms.
Chiaroscuro effect
The chiaroscuro effect in the frames cannot be missed. For a person who uses less of the brush and more of a mix of technique of scraping off with knife and removing from the canvas the initial layers of paint he spreads, the play of light and shade achieved on the frame enhances the beauty of the form in the foreground. This orchestration with light aids in developing the dimensional effect.
Rarely does the artist rely on use of too many colours, it is always the monochromatic use of colour that has made his works appealing and powerful, be it oils, pastels, Indian Ink or charcoal. According to Dethan , the human body is not a very easy object to create on canvas and this mastery can only be achieved with a combine of techniques and true understanding of the physique.
A NEW PHASE: B.D. Dethan
In the years he worked on `Kali' he always was quick to explain that he could only see the harsh, and the cruel in the world around, therefore the images were gnarled, tortuous, brutish and shorn of beauty.
His brush has mellowed, the sinewy forms pulsating life do not haunt any more, he has moved on to a palette expression that has achieved a subtle and delicate glaze.
The exhibition, Nude Complexions' which is on at the Suryakanti Gallery in the capital city till August 31, promises to be a new experience for the art lover.
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