City Scapes

I want to be Le Corbusier8217;s second hand8221;, a statement you wouldn8217;t often hear in the casual ease that Ritu Raj Sharma sports. An abstract artist, Sharma has been an ardent follower of the architect.

Ritu Raj Sharma personifies Chandigarh through his sketches

I want to be Le Corbusier8217;s second hand8221;, a statement you wouldn8217;t often hear in the casual ease that Ritu Raj Sharma sports. An abstract artist, Sharma has been an ardent follower of the architect. Paying a tribute to the life that Corbusier infused into the City Beautiful, Sharma has sketched the city integrating its inhabitants and landmarks. Organised by Sankhyana Environment Foundation, Himachal Pradesh, the exhibition 8216;Hand Creativity with Architectural Elements8217; showcases 20 sketches, 8220;however I made 65 in this series,8221; tells Sharma.

Exploring the architectural design of Chandigarh, Sharma has infused colourful portraits, sceneries, sectoral plan, the round-abouts and human figures into the compositions. Common to all sketches is the 8216;Open Hand8217;. The 8216;human scale8217; used suggestively stands for the shape of the city, 8220;Chandigarh is resting on human scale, as the population rises, it will change the framework of the city,8221; explains Sharma. While the most visible part of every sketch are the rectangular representations of the sectors, curves and figures also stand out in some sketches. Using bright colours like yellow, red, blue and pink against black the artist portrays the energy of the city. 8220;The compositions and the colours tell the ideas that go on in my mind. Once I have the sheet in front of me, the lines start to take their own shape. Since I8217;m hoping to be the second part of Corbusier8217;s legacy, I try to improve myself on the basis of his themes. I have seen his sketches, I hope to be as good,8221; he signs off.

Exhibition is on at the Indus Bank Art Gallery, sector 8-C, Chandigarh till September 20 between 10am to 6pm.