 |
| Speed II_10" x 14''_Mix Medium on Original Leather |
24th
Oct – 5th Nov. 2016: Pradarshak
presents Paintings
on Leather by Anirban Sheth
A seasoned artist,
Anirban Sheth has been painting on leather for over a decade.
Leather, including
parchment and suede, has long served as the canvas for artists in many
civilisations spread across the five continents. Albrecht Durer is known to
have executed some memorable images on vellum. African and Australian
Aboriginal artists continue to use it as a mode of their creative expression.
Indonesians and Malayasians have used it to create aesthetic figuration. In the
south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, it continues to spur the highly
imaginative leather puppets used in the shadow theatre of Bommalata.
 |
| Untitled III_11" x 21"_Leather Dye Colour, Batik on Vegetable Tanned Leather |
Closer home, Anirban has
grown up watching the batik images crafted on leather by artisans at
Sriniketan, an extension of Santiniketan. Fascinated by the special effect that
one cannot accomplish on paper or canvas, Anirban has harnessed the medium to
his advantage.
 |
| Daily Life-I_18" x 14"_Leather colour on Crome Tanned Leather |
Continuous
experimentation has led him to master the art of painting on leather, a surface
demanding a high degree of expertise end technical perfection for colours to be
applied and remain clearly visible. Done by tanning raw hide and then painting
on it, Sheth uses the tips of his fingers as a brush, smearing colour on
leather to create images from life aid nature, spirituality and rationality.
Often embellishing his art with gold and silver foil, he generates startling
visual effects, portraying natural beauty and emotional experiences with equal
ease.
 |
| Flower Vase -III_12" x 10"_Mix Medium on Chrome Tanned Leather |
He uses leather for the
background, the texture, the mood - all with telling impact. He heightens every
accidental effect through the use of leather paint on creased or crumpled sheep
leather. He is building on the natural sturdiness of camel hide, and striving
to enlarge its scope by using substitutes. Simultaneously, his ingenuity is
working on newer ways of tanning so that he can overcome the natural handicaps
of the medium that develops fungus during the monsoons.
 |
| Speed_9.5" x 13.5''_Mix Medium on Original Leather |
A conscientious artist,
who wishes to highlight and address issues relevant to our times through his
art, Anirban Sheth also comes across as a man of exceptional creative talent.
Sheth’s innovations on texture also include batik work and stencilling for
embossing and relief effects, creating a unique pictorial language. The
exhibition of his works is a splendid tribute to this painstaking yet immensely
pleasing mode of expression in which he excels.”