Portrait of an Artist

Krish at work. (Photograph : Jay Mandal-on assignment)

Krish Sengupta is all set for his solo art exhibition in New York City in January 2022. The artist’s work can be seen at On The Fringe, aka 72 Warren at Tribeca from January 13th to January 16th.

On Thursday,  January 13, the show is open from 5 PM to 11 PM. On Friday, Saturday, Sunday, January 14, 15and 16, the show is open from Noon to 9 PM.

Photographs: Jay Mandal-on assignment

Krish’s Retrospective Showcase of work done in the New York area over the years will have 30 paintings at the exhibition.

The time though is a little difficult on account of surging Covid cases, but Krish expects art lovers to brave the onslaught and turn up to see his work. Like any exhibition of paintings, Krish will be offering some paintings for outright sale. The occasion offers an opportunity to collectors of art pieces to add to their collection.

Krish is an India born artist, now based in Jersey City, NJ. Since arriving in the USA in the summer of 2009, he has actively cultivated his art in Chicago, New York and New Jersey. Largely self-taught, he has honed his skills at eminent artist workshops in these cities, namely those of Layne Jackson, Tom Robinson, Raul Sebasco and Joe Velez.

His focus is mostly on figurative work, exploring form and motion in his drawings and paintings. He had his first solo exhibition in the USA in Feb 2013, and has shown at the National Arts Club, New York City in 2015 & 2016, amongst many others. In Jan 2022, Krish will be hosted for his first solo exhibition in NYC – “New York Showcase” – by a prominent gallery in Tribeca, Manhattan.

It is always interesting to look into the mind of the artist. As The Indian Panorama requested Krish for an interview, he suggested that we republish an interview which was recently published at artistcloseup.com

In accordance with the artist’s desire, we are publishing the referenced interview, as it was originally published.Placement of photographs of paintings is, of course, the original work of The Indian Panorama.

  1. Q. What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“My name is Krish, which is also the word with which I sign my paintings. Must add, I do use just ‘K’ as a signature in many works too. My art journey truly started in my childhood years, and quite clearly it is in midstream now. Mine has been a slow journey, especially as paint and draw on the side of my main work career, which is as an executive in financial services.

Over the years, I have even kept art aside for long periods of time to cater to education and career priorities. However, upon arriving in Chicago in the summer of 2009, I resumed painting and drawing, after a gap of 15 years, with a renewed passion and have never looked back since. As I reflect, I realize that the long hiatus was needed.”

  1. Q. Which artists influence you most?

“I entered the Chicago art scene through two institutions, namely – the studios of Layne Jackson and Tom Robinson, both eminent American artists with valued art careers in their names. Both them and the artists around me in those studio sessions were my biggest inspirations at that time, which spurred me to my point of no return.

That aside, I do draw inspiration heavily from the works of the Great Masters, from museums around the world and, of course, books. Impressionism as an art style is clearly my favorite and go-to style, and thus the impressionists among the Great Masters have remained my idols forever, and no one more than the great master, Pierre-Auguste Renoir.”

  1. Q. Where else do you draw inspiration from?

“Figurative art inspires me the most. In fact, with the internet, I feel almost ‘over-inspired’ by all the marvelous figurative work that we see every day. Life drawing has been a huge influence in shaping my continuing desire to depict form & figure at its artistic best. The best is yet to come but the journey is itself no less of a reward for me.”

Q.What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?

“I mostly dwell on the theme of ‘Form and Figure’, emphasizing the aspects of pose, grace and motion in my work, to capture a stellar moment in time – visually and artistically – that the viewer would be drawn to. The key message in this theme, for me, is always to make that beautiful, graceful moment timeless, and for the viewer to cherish and take back an impression of it.

While most of it is conveyed through human form and figure, I do enjoy the theme of horses and certain other animals that also have an abundance of beauty and grace. I have captured the poise and motion of horses in my series ‘Spirit of the Horse’ and am looking forward to creating a series on dolphins in the months ahead.”

Q.How would you describe your work?

“My style of art is realistic with shades of impressionism. In my oil work, I like large, bold brush strokes, texture and a near realistic finish – although I always aspire to be more impressionistic. One day I will be! In my charcoal work, I like to be as smudgy and dirty as possible, and sometimes leave them with an unfinished look. However, as I always say, my art is constantly evolving and I am still trying to find my signature style, and until I get there, everything I create is an experiment.

Aside from the rendition style, I would also describe my art as singular pieces of beauty which are meant to adorn walls with images that would capture attention. It would, in the least, demand a closer look or a second look before one can really walk away.”

“I have this strong belief that all of us have an appreciation of art, maybe in different ways; thus, I am always really eager to capture attention to my work through visuals that most can relate to, before the viewer moves on to the next piece.”

  1. What is your creative process like?

“Nowadays, as I am becoming more aware of proportion, I try to start with a charcoal stick or graphite to create my marks, around sizing; however, essentially I believe in the technique of alla prima for my painting – including portraits done from life or photographs. Sometimes I do my underpainting in acrylic and then finish with oil. I love blurry unclear depiction for my backgrounds and peripherals. I am more careful about values than color, and for that very reason, I love creating monochromes, which led me to create the series ‘#monochromesbykrish’ & ‘#charcoalsbykrish’, that is worth a search on Instagram. My pencil works and charcoal works give me the opportunity to continuously dwell on the concept of values, and perhaps they also keep me connected to my basic love for drawing.”

  1. What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?

“A visual artist ‘talks’ with pictures, images and visual impressions that they create for viewers to dwell upon and form impressions in their minds, which is significantly quicker yet longer lasting than any other art form, be it performing arts or literature. This single component of the power of a visual artwork to influence the viewer’s mind, also casts an enormous responsibility on artists in society. Which, therefore, needs them to perform a role of positive influencers in society vs negative – always!”

  1. Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you’d like to share?

“Yes. They are quite a few.

Drawing Attention II, Chicago – June 2011

Full Spectrum Art Show, Chicago – June 2011

Drawing Attention III, Chicago – June 2012

Naked July Art Show, Chicago – July 2012

Art & Friends, Solo Art Show, Chicago – Feb 2013

Drawing Attention IV, Chicago – June 2013

Renaissance Art Show, New York – June 2014

National Arts Club Annual Show, New York – 2014

National Arts Club Annual Show, New York – 2015

Artists Studio Walk Show, Hoboken – 2016

RAW Invitational Pop Up Art Show, Jersey City – Dec 2017

Artist of the Month – July & August – Hudson Gallery Jersey City – 2019

Solas Studio Summer Show, New York City – 2021”

Krish is currently based in Jersey City. Instagram: @8akrish

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