In Pursuit of Mists, Clouds and Waves

Premjish Achari

Spiritual Sojourn saw a perfect blend of aesthetics and expression through Shridhar Iyer’s works as the bold tranquil strokes explore a deeper uninhibited meta-physical realm. Premjish Achari reviews.

‘Spiritual’ and ‘Sensuous’ are the two apt words to describe Shridhar Iyer’s works in the exhibition Spiritual Sojourn curated by Uma Nair. These two terms were used by the seminal art historian Vidya Dehejia for her exhibition on medieval Chola Bronzes from Tamil Nadu. After watching his exhibition at the Art Bull gallery I immediately felt that Shridhar is the legitimate inheritor of such an art historical legacy. His works are an extravagant tribute to his spiritual journey and also display a surplus of visual delight. Here, I would differ from a rather reluctant Uma Nair who has compared the canvases with a Pollockian style which are ‘not spectacularly beautiful’. There is a plentitude of beauty to relish on those bold strokes and narrow black forms and lines. There is an unadulterated sensuousness in these works. Neither aggressive nor passive; but an optimal aesthetic experience. The tranquilising nature of beauty is what Shridhar has to offer. These works are the sum total of the ‘spiritual sojourns’ undertaken by him. In Indian-Hindu tradition one gets acquainted with various ascetic traditions: militant, esoteric, performative, etc. Shridhar’s persona is that of an ascetic. I will call him an artist-ascetic. He has all the physical attributes to appear as a saint especially his long beard. His interactions too are saint like. He is humble, soft-spoken and reticent always maintaining a calm composure. Moreover, he is a fine tuned artist with refined aesthetic sensibilities and exceptional skills in his craft. He is an ascetic of appearance, an artist by interest and a humanitarian by choice. His spiritualism is not of an aggressive religious nature but of tolerance and inclusiveness.