We have known for long that art transcends forms, expressions and outlets. Reading art enables imagination, and when we listen to art, we are instantly transported to a different world that truly provides us with the solace we need. The practice of observing art, on the other hand, provides one with a sudden establishment of a deep connection, which quite frankly, is difficult to explain in words.
The pandemic of (or that is) 2020, apart from all that damage it inflicted, also introduced people to the world of visual arts — exploring various motion films, animation, photography, design, and so much more. Not only are visual artists now able to create art that expresses them better, the consumers, too, comprehend it more easily.
21-year-old Sangeeta Bharali, too, truly began her visual arts journey during the lockdown, back in April. As a student of fashion design at NIFT Shillong, she has always been drawn to styling. Her journey with the field of art, however, dates back to her childhood as she watched her grandfather and mother paint.
Referring to herself as an ‘accidental visual artist’, she clarifies that her interest in this form was piqued randomly. “I have always been comfortable in front of the camera. Due to the lockdown, since I was unable to go out to do shoots, I began experimenting at home myself,” Sangeeta explains. One glance through her work, and you would never be able to accredit anything as something that seems ‘accidental’.
A leading motivation for this young artist is to be able to connect with the consumers of art. When asked about her thoughts on how art and expression are oh-so-closely related, she enthusiastically responded, “This art is visual poetry. You write and read poetry, and you see this art.” She highlights the importance of relatability — that people need something to feel close to, to be able to truly feel it.
Sangeeta’s work is beautifully expressive of herself but is also heavily influenced by Indian traditions and culture. Portrayed in various new ways, some of her pieces serve to fixate the viewer’s focus on the representation of Indian culture.
“It all started with painting. When I was studying about Indian artwork by Raja Ravi Varma and the likes, I got increasingly drawn into it,” she reveals. This even led to her recreating certain paintings by the greats of Indian art. ‘Shakuntala’ (1870) by Raja Ravi Varma was her first recreation and remains her most cherished one till date. Sangeeta was quick to explain that this has partly to do with the fact that she involved her family in the work and partly to do with it being her inaugural Indian artwork recreation.
Since then, Sangeeta has learnt to play around with colour, light, shadows, placement and other various elements of visual art. As somebody who studies fashion deeply, she is able to place the importance on how and why things must be placed a certain way. She says, “Fashion has taught me what ‘aesthetic’ means and how it plays such a big role.”
As aesthetically appealing and organised her work is, her creative process is much more dynamic. She admits coyly, “Most of my pictures are my midnight thoughts.” As she begins to explain her personal process, she emphasises that the first thought should be capable of evolution. One must be able to squeeze out all insight, method and meaning from the initial spark and later translate it into the final product. She puts it aptly, “You have to interpret your own thoughts — What can this mean? What can this depict?”
At the raw age of 21, Sangeeta depicts multiple facets through her newfound love of visual art. “Art is the only thing keeping us sane,” she says as she speaks of how art has been overly important this year. She says it has not only kept her on her toes throughout lockdown but has also kept her enthusiastic about her work.
Find Sangeeta’s work here.
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