Parag Sonarghare's Hyperrealistic Paintings Find Beauty In Human Imperfections

"Today abstraction is no longer that of the map, the double, the mirror, or the concept. Simulation is no longer that of a territory, a referential being or substance. It is the generation by models of a real without origin or reality: a hyperreal."

— Jean Baudrillard

In 2014, Baroda-based visual artist Parag Sonarghare met with an accident that marked both his body and work. His approach towards painting was transformed by this near-death experience. The permanent scars left behind by the accident imbued his paintings with a sense of urgency — he looked inward and found inspiration in the human form and all its imperfections. Now, his hyperrealistic paintings — made on massive canvases — capture "life on the body".

The term 'Hyperrealism' comes from a 1973 exhibition and catalogue called 'Hyperréalisme' by Isy Brachot. The Belgian artist coined the term to mean photorealism, but as the movement expanded, it adopted French sociologist and culture critic Jean Baudrillard's theory of 'The Hyper-realism of Simulation' (1976). According to Baudrillard, Hyperrealism is "the simulation of something which never existed". His concept of Hyperrealism concerns with the creation of emotion as much as it concerns with the creation of an image. In other words, through altering the intensity of an image, Baudrillard argues that Hyperrealists can create emotions in their viewers that would not have been possible with realism alone.

Within the long history of visual art, Hyperrealism is a relatively new genre that emerged from Naturalism and Photorealism in the 20th century. Beginning in the 1960s, Hyperrealists decided to take their works beyond purely photo-realistic quality by emphasising on the visual, social, and cultural details of everyday life. Hyperrealism in painting owes its shocking character to the emotional, social, cultural, and political lenses through which it forces observers to view themselves and the world around them.

In his own words, Sonarghare paints "people, portraits, skin patches". While growing up in Nagpur, he was surrounded by ordinary people and fascinated by how their lives marked them — the scars, cracks, and pigmentation. He could witness time and their lived realities on their body, and this had profound impact on his practice.

Sonarghare's process begins with making reference photographs of his subjects — in a departure from fine artists' obsession with the female nude, he prefers to work with older men from rural India. He meticulously paints his subjects from these reference photographs, working on one 6-inch by 6-inch square at a time — drawing details and then filling them up, painstakingly adding layer upon layer for days at a stretch. The end result is sort of abstract until it all comes together into a recognisable form — what is essentially a highly detailed topography of his subjects' bodies.

Technically spectacular and conceptually powerful, Sonarghare's massive paintings hold our attention and challenge our perception of reality. The dizzying Hyperrealism and meticulous attention to detail forces us to face the subjects in every imperfection of their skin, their face, and sometimes their disembodied limbs, and through them, our own imperfections, the fragility of the human body, and the unceasing passage of time.

About the Artist:

Parag Sonarghare was born in Nagpur, India, in 1987 and holds a M.V.A. (Art History and Aesthetics) from M.S. University, Baroda. His works are in the collection of Karen & Robert Duncan, USA; The Huerlimann collection, Switzerland; and Antoine de Galbert collection, France amongst other important collections in the US, Europe and India. Follow him here.

Parag Sonarghare's 10-year survey exhibition '(In)visible' opens Tuesday, November 12, at Gallery Maskara in Colaba. Learn more about the exhibition here.

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