Painter with a brush of optimism

Artist Vijender Sharma is known for bringing alive the late poet and art critic Keshav Malik through his painting and also for his portraits featuring Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Buddha and Jesus Christ among others. 

In an upcoming exhibition ‘Illusions of Time’, Sharma focuses on human life, people’s emotions and narratives related to their lives in a large portion of his collection. 

Be it in relation to sperm, the life cycle, the umbilical cord, Adam and Eve, the forbidden fruit, or any other subject. 

There are protagonists whose mute voices lend the music an unsettling air. He includes persons with a range of personalities. His characters are deep thinkers who enjoy living secret lives and nurturing their hidden ideas. 

The paintings of lovely damsels, with their sensuous bodies covered in cellophane cover or dressed in see-through layered costumes, offer surrealist analyses of human faces. One needs to see it through a magnifying glass to appreciate its finesse and the minute details properly. 

“It is a good reminder of my days of struggle and keeps me grounded,” says Sharma, as he explains the connection he feels towards his art.

Positive intent 

His expertise in giving the revered figures his own positive and open-minded interpretation is reflected in his painting titled ‘Salvation’, which features Christ adorning a crown surrounded by symbols of love instead of thorns. The mask, tied together and hanging from threads within the frame, seems to signify the need to avoid deception. 

The exhibition, curated by Sushma K.Bahl & Nipun Soin, will showcase works including The Forbidden Fruit, MF Hussain’s portrait, The Forbidden Fruit, and multiple renditions of the Mask.

When: November 26 – December 7

Where: Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road (Till November 30) and G- 42, Connaught Place (Till December 7)