Strokes of strength

Strokes of strength
By Jamal Shaikh

A landscape, a view, a pretty picture
What the mind sees may be laced with tincture…

Tell us truly; when appreciating art, are you ever supremely confident that your interpretation of a painting is the same as the artist who made it? If you’ve got a way with words, you could possibly hold a discussion on how the two views align, and discover common ground in conversation. But many connoisseurs are but mute spectators who react not with a point of view, but to a connection they feel. It could be a tinge in the heart, a sweet flashback, an instant brightness of being.

Rouble Nagi’s newest series of landscapes evoke such emotion. The mood is bold, the message pungent. Picturesque beauty is apparent, but also seen is the juxtaposition of individual thought. Grass green and blue sky, you see at one point; blood red that invigorates, but doesn’t threaten in another. There’s sunshine in a shade that overpowers all else, yet the charcoal grey is brighter with character.

Impasto strokes may be likened to calligraphy, and their beauty compared to the Chinese alphabet, where the reader knows where the author began the composition of his stroke, and where he intended it to go. It’s not reading between the lines, it is understanding every move. Nagi’s audaciousness on canvas absorbs you, valiantly leading from the front. You’re never quite left to fend for yourself.

What makes the artist so confident about her view of nature? The answer lies in a heartening find: Rouble Nagi is a strong Indian woman of today, not one with passive desires or unfulfilled emotions, but with a view grounded in reality. She’s modern and urbane, as are her complexities. Love, heartbreak, duty, responsibility, ambition and desire all find a place in her world. She confesses to creating these pieces at a time when she was expecting her first child; a self-encompassing frame of mind no male can even claim to understand.

Go on; take in each frame with the contagious sense of strength it proffers. In all its simplicity, this is art that won’t just brighten up the wall, it’ll colour your day!




:Jamal Shaikh is the Editorial Director of the Indian editions of Robb Report and Men’s Health

STROKES OF STRENGTH

I have always cared about expressing my emotions and feelings rather than only making a picture look real. My style of painting a canvas still remains the same, I like to be a part of every canvas I paint. This series I painted while I was on the move in Europe and the middle east.  Every landscape is so different than the other, as I painted and ventured into the abstract realm once again.  The paintings I have created this time have a lot of texture, and getting an impasto effect using very thick paint so that the brush and knife work, my strokes are clearly visible. The paintings have been created on locations. Being a mural artist I always pay attention to the environment around me  while creating an installation, in the same way while painting these canvases  on site I observed the subtle differences  and shifts in color value and shape. It helped me personally to orchestrate my paintings to achieve the truth of the scene.

Every artist has his own perception, my perception has always been based on knowledge and awareness it is this attentiveness that helps me create. If you observe carefully nothing in my painting is still, forms seem to hover up, around and collide as they fall creating new shapes altogether. You may notice a startling contrast between thin transparent paint, and thick textured impasto used to create my subject.  No two compositions are alike  , if in a canvas I have used vivid colors with abstract composition to catch your eye the other may have completely saturated tones. Some of them are a sophisticated mix of warm and cool colors mostly low intensity with a punch or two of intense color just to break the monotony. Like I mentioned earlier my canvases are not still, they have rhythmic energy, so do my strokes when I paint. My strokes and use of colors which has to look visually very interesting to me, I am able to achieve this because I just let go and feel the juice, the energy , the vibe of the painting. Just one simple formula works every time no boundaries and limitations my canvas allows me total freedom.

I enjoyed growing up a part of my life in Kashmir. We had the mountains and the meadows, beautiful landscape. We were outdoors all the time and we played outside. This journey was full of memories from my childhood, kept having a ton of Déjà vu. It worked positively for me, as I believe that everything you need for life is provided at birth and your life’s path is already somewhat chosen for you. Would conclude by saying that I painted my last canvas of this series a month before I created my masterpiece, my son on. 14.02.2012. Hope to see everyone at the exhibition.

 

“Any landscape is a condition of the spirit.” Henri Frederic Amie

TREE OF LIFE

This installation is just next to a cathedral, which I frequent and the island is a significant one for people coming into the suburb. I am sure commuters would like this refreshing visual sight, which indeed will add color and positivity to its surroundings. With the thought and vision to beautifying our city Mumbai, I hope to make a difference with my artwork or any other way I can.

Concept Note:

“Color in certain places has the great value of making the outlines and structural planes seem more energetic.”- Antoni Gaudi

As a mural artist I have always loved mosaic, being one of the first mediums I ever worked with. My inspiration to create this installation came to me during my visit to Barcelona where I was mesmerized by Gaudi’s creation and use of mosaic in his architectural structures. While creating the tree in Fiber I wanted to use mosaic on the facade with abstract design symmetry. Mosaic as a medium is one of my favorites as it has colors that are vibrant and an artist can experiment with other materials like shells, glass, tiles etc. while working with it.

Bright colors are what I like to work with while doing mosaic, the reason mentioned in one of Gaudi’s quote that’s mentioned above. Outlines of the sculpture are far more defined this way, giving it depth and character.

ART APPRECIATION AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU LIKE

Over the years that I been making murals and installations, a question that people have kept asking What is Art and who’s idea of art is considered art? I always have mentioned that art is subjective and what appeals to some may not appeal to others. There are ways one can become more aware and informed, awaken our appreciation of the many different styles, movements and mediums.

I believe that our audience needs to be exposed to all styles of art, not just paintings and sculptures. If an artist tries something new it’s like listening to foreign language for its viewers.  If we learn the language of the art and understand better what many of the great painters were trying to express, perhaps we might make a deeper connection with diverse styles and genres of art.

Every Friday I try and watch a movie in a theatre, go for an art exhibition on the weekends. I love to see how people react, every sort of art be it visual, performing or fine art is open for criticism and appreciation depending on its audience. Art is subjective, and that’s it. Creating and viewing visual art makes an excellent hobby. Fine art has a value that cannot be measured monetarily and it can enrich others lives in ways no other medium can. Appreciating art is a valuable part of our society that improves our understanding of the world around us.

Visual art for instance inspires others to help others and can be used as an effective advertising tool for philanthropy. Art designed this way compels individuals to improve their society and to love their neighbor. Try and expose yourself to every form of art. The more you see the more you will understand, art is what you make of it, always try and talk to artist about his creation it will give you a better idea and insights that you might have missed.

I have a message for all aspiring artists out there, keep dreaming, keep creating never stop as creativity is endless.

The Hibernating Artist

For all of my friends(artists and non-artists) who may wonder what has happened to me over the last two months since I may seem to have vanished Or to those who question whether I've moved away because I'm not answering my phone(especially those who know my personal schedule)...rest assured that I am fine and simply enjoying my artist hibernation.

Over the last few months I have been busy painting and creating a new theme for my upcoming exhibitions for 2012. The only time a man thinks is when he's alone and I come across this in myself every time this part of the year. I will be posting a glimpse of my works shortly.

Save The Children...Mosaic Mural

I have been making murals for more than a decade now, looking back some of my works have always had a special place in my heart. Around six years ago I did a mosaic mural for Save the Children, loved working there with Mr. Rahul Kadri and people involved with the project. My love for children has helped me start Rouble Nagi Art Foundation. Work for has always been driven by passion for me. I do hope to do the same sort of work in the future as well. God Bless

WARLI WORK

                                          WARLI WORK AT KALA ACADEMY WORLI .

FREEDOM SCULPTURE AT NAPEAN SEA ROAD

FREEDOM SCULPTURE AT NAPEAN SEA ROAD

Sculptor and mural artist Rouble Nagi talks about her latest art installation in Mumbai.
What are you inspirations?Travel has been a part of my life since I was a child and being an army officer’s daughter, I was exposed to various cultures, places and religions from different regions which influence my work in a big way. For me the inspiration comes from life. The only time I feel alive is when I sculpt, cut glass and tile, put my hands in clay… Challenging projects are always exciting as an artist, as I have the freedom to create and do justice to them. I’m a perfectionist and like to put my heart and soul in all my projects. Working on this sculpture was tough, but also very satisfying.
What made you choose this part of the city for the sculpture? Is it a public installation?
This sculpture has been installed in a new constructed building in Napean Sea Road, it’s customised. The sculpture is placed at the entrance of the building. It was nice working with the architectural company and my client, as they had some nice inputs during the design phase. As an artist, I like experimenting with medium and design in both murals and sculptures.
What are the major ideas on which you based this installation?
This is basically a non-representational sculpture, designed specifically keeping freedom and an upward motion in mind, like white pigeons flying vertically up in a flock. The design is inspired by what we see in nature and is the starting point of a somewhat creative play, which bears some resemblance to my thought of freedom.
Why did you use white marble?
I individually like working with stone, and white is one of my favourite colours. While working with white marble, one has to be very careful as faults are easily visible. It’s more of a challenge working with this medium, which makes it exciting. Also, the sculpture had to be placed outdoors near the sea, that’s why I chose this medium, which is maintained easily and looks beautiful. A good installation artist always has to keep his surrounding in mind while executing the job, otherwise nature can play havoc.
What made you title it ‘Freedom’?
The vision during the design phase were doves or pigeons flying upwards in a flock. The white doves/pigeons are synonymous with freedom, joy and peace. Freedom in all aspects — spiritual and otherwise. This sculpture is a visual treat for the residents of the building and the colour white is very soothing to the eye.
Are you working on any other sculpture or mural at the moment?
Currently I am working for some projects in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Delhi and Jaipur. The work is very different from one another and mediums are also very different. It’s interesting and very exciting. My works keep me on my toes and let me travel most of the time, which in turn helps inspire me create more unusual things
-DNA Interview

ROUBLE NAGI ART FOUNDATION

Exhibition at Artists' Centre for  Underprivileged Children

With Salman Khan Mumbai Show



Mumbai Show




Mumbai Show



My Fav Horse Mosaic mural size 13'X15'

Cold Ceramic Panel for Yuvvraaj

The Last Supper in Tile Mosaic

As an artist one always wants to do something that’s close to one’s heart. When Arpita came to me with an idea of creating this fantastic visual spectacle, it was something I always wanted to do. As an artist I have seen the Last Supper created by various artists like Pietro Perugino,Paul Ruben, Dagnan-Bouveret and my favorites Dali and Da Vinci.
Just like the latter as Dali created the ‘Last Supper’ combining the typical Christian themes with modern approaches of Surrealism including geometric elements of symmetry and polygonal proportion, every artist I guess wants to create this masterpiece.
I wanted to do it in a mosaic mix media format with architectural elements and a three dimensional visual effect, Arches were created to add dimension which were hand painted in gold on frames. Cutting tiles in such small sizes is not easy but that’s what makes tile mosaic so interesting n challenging to work on, blending n mixing different colour tiles together is fun in itself. Glass mosaic tiles had to be specially made as colors were not available it took time to put the panel together but am really happy with the outcome. Have done frescos and artwork making the apartment a visual treat.

-Rouble Nagi.

Journey Through The Ocean

Created in tile mosaic, Bombay being the water city mural is designed keeping that in mind. The Mural shows the sea, high rise buildings & the beautiful sunrise. The mural is done in mosaic coloured tiles personally cut by hand. It has a symmetrical pattern as well as random patterns. It’s built for people walking on the promenade to feel happy & relaxed when they look at the mural. Bright colours are used in mural like yellow, orange, sea blue, dark blue, brown, pink & green. Coloured glass n mirror is also used to give the 3D effect. Mural depicts the landscape of Bombay city. Mural size – 34′ * 9′.
About The Carter road Sculpture

At 8′ 6″ * 5′ (medium) tile mosaic, fiber & granite. Title – Journey through the Ocean – Mural depicts the sea line of Bombay. Colourfull tiles are used to show the underwater life showing shells, fishes, water plants. One side of the sculpture shows the sunrise, one side of the sculpture also shows the busy life of Bombay. The big fiber piece on top depicts a big ship in the ocean which shows the journey in the ocean. Its’ made semi realistic showing the ship, waterline, shells, a light house n plants