A Brush with Erotica

Written by ShevetaBhatia

January 29, 2012 12:33 AM IST

3 min read

For as long as the celebrated sculpture artist and painter Shiv Singh can remember,he has had one colour in his wardrobe the colour of the moonless night. This complemented with a hint of orange in his turban. I,like the colour black,absorb everything and never reflect back. Besides,I am like the pallete that is happy to experiment with all colours till they merge to become black. As for orange that adds an element of happiness to all that surrounds me, says 73-year-old Singh,as he reminisces about the times when he walked out of his home town Hoshiarpur with these two colours more than 50 years ago and decided to play with other colours on canvas only. Singh was a part of the talk Journey of an artist,a program initiated by the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration earlier this week for providing a platform to amateur artists for exchanging ideas and hosting conversations with renowned artists of Punjab.

The result was a series of award-winning works both 2D and 3D,made in the last five decades,with mediums varying from oil and water colours,textile dyes,steel,bronze,fiber glass and copper,most of them with one common muse nature. But now,after years of painting landscapes,he has shifted his focus and is all set to showcase his series on erotica. This is sure to shock everybody. I showcased a few works on this theme in 1982. That was accepted and appreciated everywhere else,but drew a lot of criticism in Chandigarh. This one too is sure to arouse controversy, says Singh about the explicit subject of his series. But Singh is hopeful that this time the audience will be more mature about it and will keep in mind that erotica has always been a part of our culture that include works at Khajuraho and by his contemporaries. We need to accept them the way we accept other art forms, says Singh,about the series that will have both sculptures and paintings.

When I am with my tools and colours,I am like a child who lets the instinct take over and am guided by what I see and experience, says Singh,who tells us that his works are inspired by life,nature and relationships.

Singh progressed from studying in Punjab College of Arts,to teaching at the Sainik School,Kapurthala,and later getting a sponsorship by German Government,and becoming the founder member of the Punjab Lalit Kala Academy at New Delhi and Chandigarh. He has received the National Award in Sculpture and the President of Indias Silver Plaque award,among others.

Born and brought up in a time when there were no tractors and light,I try to capture the rhythm,movement and beauty of life, says Singh,whose works dot many Indian and international museums.

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German Government Shiv Singh

A Brush with Erotica

For as long as the celebrated sculpture artist and painter Shiv Singh can remember,he has had one colour in his wardrobe  the colour of the moonless night. This complemented with a hint of orange in his turban.

For as long as the celebrated sculpture artist and painter Shiv Singh can remember,he has had one colour in his wardrobe the colour of the moonless night. This complemented with a hint of orange in his turban.