(2004, BFA Painting)
sanjaysamyak15@gmail.com
Once more Sanjay Kumar returns to the Jehangir Art Gallery to show his works. This time the collection comprises abstract works. It is,titled, Hermitage. Eight years ago, he also exhibited his works, at Jehangir( December 2009), They were largely abstract though not free of the figurative forms I say this to make the point that he is not rigidly committed to any particular style of art. In fact since he started painting some fifteen years ago ,he has taken to many forms and styles ,abstract , figurative and even surrealistic.
Nature was the theme of his earlier show at the Jehangr.. Nature. as we see around us, in the waves dashing at Nariman Point,or the garbage dumps or speeding cars were put on the canvass. He also sees harmony in nature and that too appears in his canvas. He wants to capture nature in all its manifestations..
Unlike many artists who make art a medium to express their social concerns, Sanjay stays clear of such urges. Even his “Rikshaw Pullers staged in April 2008 at Triveni Kala Sangam shows the plight of these men. But there in this collection is a painting showing a rikshaw puller stretched out over his car and quite enjoying his rest. Yes, this collection, inaugurated by Keshav Malik, shows his social concerns but also his aesthetic sense. Art for art’s sake is a Greek ideal and much of the Western art follows it. Sanjay too subscribes to it,
His pencil and charcoal drawings bring out another facet of his works, A collection “Binary Strokes” staged at Habitat Centre in 2010 has exquisite drawings of a charged bull, titled Force, a woman taking bath(grotesquely sensuous) .Here he shows his skill at using the pencil and charcoal medium.