Masterfully combining colour, form and expression, the works of Prabhakar Kolte, brings to the fore the many facets of dynamics of abstract art

Treasure Art Gallery makes a debut with ‘The Mind’s Eye’ featuring veteran abstractionist Prabhakar Kolte. 

Curated by art critic Uma Nair, the exhibition has on display 50 masterpieces, all about exploration of freedom. A few pen and ink drawings from the past as well as works on paper and canvas all come together to create a historic journey of abstraction.

Inspired by nature and by life Kolte’s works celebrate the power of resonance achieved through repetition. Through the  reworking of an imagery that is robust, resilient and warm, Kotle juxtaposes  line drawings which he annotates with colour selections  onto canvas. Using the technique of  laying down multiple layers of paint – to achieve a matte, impenetrable surface a sense of meticulous moorings is achieved. 

“This suite demonstrates Kolte’s ability to masterfully combine colour, form and expression, establishing  the artist’s distinct contribution to the world of abstraction, and affirms his sensitivity and respect towards the traditions and lifetime of continuous innovation and experimentation in the journey of abstraction in a world that is still waking up to its many facets and distinctive dynamics,” says curator Uma Nair.

The works in the show run like a visual diary, an engaging document of Kolte’s  artistic exploration with lines and perspective. Filled with intricate visual contents, which when pieced together, fabricate a story that allows viewers to immerse completely inside of  Kolte’s mindscape. 

Describing the show as a “milestone”, Treasure Art Gallery Director Tina Chandrojii says the gallery wanted to shine a light on the oeuvre of Kotle’s dynamic and distinct artistic vocabulary by bringing together his work under one roof.

The canvas or the sheet of paper for Kolte is about the balance between tension and harmony, it could within its colour field embody and embrace more than a thousand voices, filled with infinite expectations. When he creates his strokes in a symphony of points and lines within the planes of his choice he includes conventions of form and dimensions that remain fluid in space.

“In my paintings it’s the small elements that matter. Colour and luminosity through a plain stripe of white are for me  very old and neutral images. It’s been used so often, the way I arrange them and the way I paint them totally decides the emotion and dynamics  in the painting. I try to get a mature or resonant feeling into the surface through labour and attention. The emotion should be pushed through by an image that has the same rhythm,” says artist Prabhakar Kolte.

The exhibition is on display at Treasure Art Gallery till December 10

(Cover: Abstractionist Prabhakar Kotle)