Quantum Leaps and Strides Print

This work was inspired by the poured and gestural paintings of the mid-century Drip Period. Therefore, sticks, fine yarn, poured paint and splattered paint, painted matchbox cover, wire, are collaged to the canvas' surface to create an altered surface and emotion. I discovered abstract painting and the notion of creating on a large scale for the first time when entering a Bachelor's degree program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA during the 1990s to add coursework to an earlier Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Stella Maris College, Chennai, India focused on representational art.It was a marvelous revelation because of the freedom, and new possibilities for exploration that came with the opportunity. It was my foray into treating color and textures independently from subject matter such as form, line and perspective that are general constraints of realism in image-making. The connection between art, music and spiritual forces also dawned on me, having grown up in a spiritual and cultural family. The thought of translating real life and presenting it in abstract form led to my future professional journey from that time onwards. Wassily Kandinsky was one of the first artists I was inspired by his pure abstract paintings portraying “vibrantly colored spots, smears and lines foregoes all visual reference to objective reality for the first time in 1910”. Expressionism, and colorful lyrical abstraction came into focus for the first time. Employing a range of methods while creating my unique style, I continue to seek what is true and something free within me. I began to explore texture in a strictly two-dimensional way in lieu of collaging pieces together on my surfaces, washing layers of paint applications on often large-sized canvases as in the Batik medium. Adding freshly painted imagery to previous layers mimicked superimposed, adhered collaged materials. As in a majority of my originals, this presentation is created with acrylic paints and acrylic texture materials. Art history has experienced numerous upheavals such as wars, famines and natural disasters. As a contemporary painter creating this work during the COVID-19 pandemic, I want to open new doors to comprehend the endless complexities our evolving society presents us with. Through my art, I wish for my viewers to find relief from the present-day anxieties and fears by helping to see beyond the various limitations of our current challenging circumstances. - Chitra Ramanathan

Print:Giclee on Fine Art Paper

Size:8 W x 10 H x 0.1 D in

Size with Frame:13.25 W x 15.25 H x 1.2 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.