Drawing upon influences

This is a journey of sorts for artist, says Sudip Roy as he explores colour in its smoky embers and its deepened depths in order to stoke the fire and the surreal crevices within his own struggles and journeys as an artist.

Sudip Roy was in Hyderabad with his latest show of abstract art, ‘Odyssey’ at Kalakriti Art Gallery. He shares his views on imagery and abstraction.

Excerpts:

Art is learning
No one will become an artist in one day. In one day no one will be ready to play Olympics. This is a process - first a child will be born, then the baby will learn to crawl and he will stand next before walking. Then at a certain age he will practice and will participate in Olympics. I started with some drawing and then did some colouring, and today I am an artist.

Turning point
National School of Drama director Ebrahim Alkazi, who is also an art connoisseur saw my work and he praised it. He invited me to Delhi and helped me host my first exhibition and that was an unforgettable moment in my life.

Abstract Art
Abstract for me is about freedom to explore the formless and depth. After having perfected both realist as well as impressionist modes, abstraction becomes an Odyssey of tons of abilities and moods and mystic depths.

Classical music and art
I listen to classical music all the time. I believe that the most important element in music is the sur - the note - and the shruthi. And once you listen to it, you are immersed in its nuances and its different realms.

When you think of the different parts of the composition, the lyrical flow seems seamless - it has no form and its expanse is like a colour field - a memory that is flowing just like a river.

When I began abstraction this was the surge that I witnessed. It was about the moods and momentum that was created within the web of alaaps and antaras. And it became a journey that filled me with the silence of the depths of melody and rhythm.

Universal language
It is an inner feeling of an artist. In my journey of abstraction, ideas and images settle into place. After that I explore the simplest, the most basic bare instincts that can be extracted so that the most minimal colour zones are created to keep the residual reflections floating.