Mystical magic on canvas

New Delhi based poet-painter Ashok Gulati, strives to capture the essence of a passing moment that elapses into eternity and beholds the soul's reflection. In a short span of time, this profound, prolific painter has created a niche for himself, with his evocative creations that are not only pleasing to one’s eyes but also soothing to one's soul.

Each of his works reflects his own personal vision. With passage of time, they show a tendency to a greater freedom of form, tending toward minimalism of expression.

The simplicity, the lucidity, and the melancholically lyrical quality of Ashok Gulati’s compositions lie at the heart of his creative character.

The multi-faceted artist, after completing his graduation from the Government College of Arts, Chandigarh, has dabbled in graphics, printmaking, painting and performing arts. His work has been included in several major group shows such as the 16th International Biennial Exhibition of Humour & Satire in the Art at Gabrovo, Bulgaria (2003).

Ashok Gulati was initially drawn towards graphic art and experimented extensively in the medium. The artist now though focuses on painting for fulfilling his creative urge. Charting his artistic sojourn, Copenhagen based senior artist Sohan Qadri mentions: "In the last couple of years, Ashok Gulati has posed himself with challenges of colour and composition. His responses to these challenges are quite evident. His art demands and rightfully deserves a serious observation. For a casual eye might miss the potentialities standing next door to unfold.

“Confronting an empty canvas, he handles the proposition with a mind purged off all the thoughts and concepts, but only keeping the promise towards energies exuded by colours in an endless space.” He appreciates the artist’s unique repetition of strokes, a sign of his inherent promise, and rightly terms Ashok Gulati’s compositions as an 'ample visual experience’ to which the latter reacts by saying, “My strokes are aimed at creating a sense of harmony along with a sense of seamless movement on the canvas.”

Previously, the artist has worked in natural mediums like dyes from fruit and vegetables. Every medium has its inherent possibilities, limitations and challenges, which he takes into consideration before making his choice. Now, he prefers to dabble in oil on canvas.

“The scale of my work has also got larger,” he adds. “When I am working on a series, I create two or three canvasses simultaneously. Obviously, they all are an extension of each other, creating an enhanced sense of unity and continuity.”

He has also penned several thought-provoking poems, which often inspire him to paint. Ashok Gulati is also a skilled photographer with an eye for details. Switching from poetry to photography and to painting is an intuitive transition from one medium to another, as he puts it. “I shed the inhibitions of a photographer when I paint, and vice-versa. Photography and painting are different in visualization and execution hence the respective creative processes are also different for both the art forms.”

The artist follows his inner instinct, and remains faithful to his style and subject instead of resorting to gimmicks. This probably explains as why his work has managed to hold the attention of art critics and connoisseurs in spite of his maintaining a low-profile.

Summing up his passion for painting, the artist says, “I paint, because I love painting. I am on a totally different plane, and am transported into an intriguing imaginary world where the aesthetic experience becomes a mystic experience.”
In his new body of works, replicating life under the sea, one can see and sense the act of mystical magic that he builds gradually on a canvas. The artist reveals, “I have worked in a semi-abstract form of painting. It’s a unique body of work, different from my previous creations; neither figurative nor totally abstract. It’s formless, yet it reflects vigour and energy of the living forms.”

The artist replicates a realm, where ‘there, perhaps, is a chance for peace.” as he mentions in one of his beautiful poems:
“Everyone….…even the butterfly fluttered,
to vanish and to fly back; no one around.
Sky in the pond
A flowerbed
Deep-rooted trees; Birds perching on the treetop,
chirping in the open sky; Freedom on the wings
A sea of azure, Mild breeze, fragrant jasmine
…There, perhaps, is a chance for peace.”
The sojourn is still on…