Udaan Print

Flight. It’s a metaphor for many things. Freedom. Escape. Lightness of being. And in her series aptly titled ‘Udaan’ , Anita Goel explores this symbol with a great deal of verve. There is a desire in all of us to push ourselves beyond the limitations that our temporal selves come with, to rise above our “muddy vesture of decay” and embrace a greater form of energy. This process is a difficult one and requires resilience, patience and perseverance. As we proceed down such a path, the energy we are imbued with is often transferred through us into our work. This is most easily seen in our art and Anita shares her artistic growth and vision through her exploration of flight. To do this she has chosen to be expansive, both in physical scale as well as ideation.There is a harmonious balance of movement and stillness that embodies the theme of ‘Udaan’ perfectly. Anita herself doesn’t see freedom as a singularity. She sees the multiple facets of it as well as the responsibility it carries and explains that when we see a bird soaring in the skies, we neglect to see the effort and purpose behind its flight. She also gives her audience the freedom to interpret her work from their own varied perspectives, allowing them to share her experience of ‘Udaan’. Anita’s style and palette are also a testament to the spirit behind her collection. The vibrancy of her colours as well as the dynamism in her use of the painting knife to create texture and pattern tell us that while she may not want to “slip the surly bonds of earth”— to paraphrase poet and pilot John McGee, she certainly wants to show us how to “dance the skies on laughter- silvered wings… ……..with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.” — Deepti Nair.