Pulsating with pure clean energy, the art of Sarla Chandra testifies to the timelessness of Indian mythology and culture. We see an exaltation of the mysticism of life’s wisdom and secrets. Her works focusing mostly on the spiritual bears witness to her oneness and peace with her inner athma.
It is said that “In her work, the inspiration is from the Prithvi Sukta of the Atharva Veda that extols the earth “on whom are the ocean and river, the waters; on whom food, ploughings, came into being; who bears many forms that breathe and stir”. This energy that transforms itself into many forms radiates in the artist’s works through the patina of gold and silver behind the colours. “I now use a thin layer of silver or gold foil pasted on the canvas. Once that is dry, I begin to apply colours according to the theme and idea I have in mind. Thus, in its final effect, every painting reflects a subtle glimmer of silver or gold from behind the colour palette, creating a dramatic effect visually”. (Extract from the booklet for the exhibition – “Tat Tvam Asi”)
In this unique style the layer of gold or silver shimmering through the paint seem as though they are heavenly sunrays peeking through the clouds. Every object or figurative image is rendered with a gentleness and refinement that explains the gracefulness of this author. Every element is painted within its own definition and design, with the smoothest and surest brushstroke where the colours are mellifluous with each other as they combine and compliment with each other like strands of woven silk. They radiate simplicity and contentment in their phenomenal existence in nature. Their fluid merger into one another is poetry that the artist narrates in captivating wholesome colours and subtle yet tangible textures.
As an artist who immerses her body and soul in the painting, she brings out her strength of mind, her elegant softness of heart, her graceful knowledge of peace and cohesion with nature. The Divine deities float gloriously within the painting surrounded by elements that characterize them. Their closed eyes, delicate smile in an elegant fluid form; are immersed in their spiritual abandon, in profound thoughtfulness and are captured in the perfect moment of bliss, a state of oneness.
As a viewer one can get lost within the petals of the flowers, or the folds of the lotus leaves, or the ripples of the water or the light through the rocks. These paintings can be an introduction or an initiation to the communion of nature with the human spirit. They are a surge that emits resonances that we must absorb and bask in its numerous trajectories. Albeit returning to normalcy would mean an acquired knowledge and experience of self and an unforgettable voyage of discovery that is continuous, long after we have left its company.
