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Journalism of Courage
Artist Natalia Sarafanova is best described as introverted- she lets her images do the talking for her. However,she hesitatingly shares this with us,I come to India every three or four months because I am in love with the country. The way it has held on to its traditions and past is amazing,something that we in Russia have lost, says the 38-year-old painter,whose oil on canvases speak longingly of a time long gone. Her first exhibition in India opens at the All India Fine Arts & Craft Society (AIFACS) gallery today and showcases about 24 works.
I never do life study the way academics do,but look at someone or something for a long time and then paint it from memory about two or three days later, says the artist,who employs a post-Impressionist technique of painting. The works convey the memory of the artist rather than an exact photo-realist rendition. I think if I wanted to paint realistically I would rather take a photograph. The style I like is of memory drawing, says Sarafanova.
Her visits to the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) have only confirmed her love for Amrita Sher Gils works. There are some resonances in the style and approach of the famed
Indian painter and Sarafanovas own love for bright colours and idyllic village life.
Having studied at the Russian Academy of Arts,Sarafanova exclaims over how expensive it is to get a six year degree in art or further more,to get a studio. Currently she paints from home and these canvases some of which have women in saris bathing their children and rural women walking with sticks piled up on their head capture India. In Russia,India is a huge influence. We have weeks dedicated to Indian books,Indian fashion and of course Indian cinema. I grew up watching a lot Indian movies because my mother loved it, says Sarafanova,who has travelled to Hardwar,Rajasthan,Kerala,Karnataka and Chennai.
There are also scenes from rural Russia and the life of simple folk,a time that Sarafanova reminisces over fondly. I choose not to make political work or comment on the current state of the world because I think that spreading love is more important that talking of war. My art is about nurturing, she concludes.
The show is on at AIFACS Gallery till January 31. For details,call 23322194
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