I always tell my fellow artists to believe that their art is alive. For me, painting is a relationship between me and the canvas. It is a communication that I have, which is only possible when I believe that my work can feel as much as I can,” points out Kolkata-based artist Jayashree Chakravarty. The artist’s current exhibition titled ‘Feeling the Pulse (in the pandemic years)’ is on view at Akar Prakar gallery, Defence Colony, till April 15—it was unveiled on March 16. Chakravarty’s eight abstract works offer a medium to portray the ability of nature to hold on to both structure and form.
A respect for nature
An appreciation for nature has always been the primary focus in Chakravarty’s work. The artist attributes this fundamental aspect to her upbringing in Tripura as well as her education at Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, West Bengal. “Organic materials such as leaves and roots have always attracted me.
That way, I always wanted to bring the natural quality of life,” she shares. Consequently, her works are made using powdered earth, eggshells, tea-stains, seeds, grass, and other organic materials that are layered on furrows of paint. This, to an extent, is also a representation of how nature and human beings communicate with each other on a daily basis.
As the exhibition name suggests, Chakravarty’s works probe into the pulsating feeling that one gets when they are completely alone and out of touch with the world. “The distance with society during the pandemic was quite uncanny for me. At times, it felt like I was shivering. That shiver always felt like it was pulsating, and you were aware of the flow of energy both negative and positive,” she elaborates.
Connecting with the Earth
Devoid of a linear narrative, Chakravarty’s works—these were mostly created during 2020 to 2021—repeatedly use interconnected lines (they almost look like veins). She explains that the lines denote the roots of trees. “When you look at the trees in the jungle, these roots are not only connected with the Earth, they are also connected with each other beneath the Earth. You cannot separate them; they exist because of the other,” the 66-year-old artist says.
Chakravarty laments that, in an urban setting, these roots are slowly being uprooted from lives. “The trees are always living together. Both up in the leaves as well as down under the Earth. But we never try to listen to nature and this rude disturbance of it is what hurts me the most.”
Her words seem to echo those said by English Romantic poet William Wordsworth in the concluding verses of his poem Nutting, wherein the poet tells his sister: ‘Then, dearest Maiden, move along these shades/ In gentleness of heart; with gentle hand/ Touch—for there is a spirit in the woods’. Through her works, Chakravarty speaks of the vitality and sensibility of nature.
In fact, the resilience of nature is well-portrayed in her painting ‘Withstanding’. Amid the chaos of the roots—one might even think of it as the chaotic world we live in—we see golden flowers blooming in the background. “Although people cut down trees, there is always the new bloom,” she shares.
A meditative medium
During the pandemic, art was a meditative medium for Chakravarty. The artist mentions that she had the opportunity to be alone with her works. This was a learning experience for her. “My practice was everything that I needed to grow and engage with, at that time. At a time of chaos, it did not let me shatter. It was during that time I could connect with my work. The pandemic gave me insight,” she shares. As you observe the details in these works, you perceive a touch of calmness and chaos, something we think the artist might have felt. The works become both introspective and a critique of society .