Lot 114: Shibu Natesan

Watercolour on paper

118.5 by 149 cm. (46¾ by 58¾ in.)

Indian Art III/III: Here and Now: Young voices from India, Grosvenor Vadehra Gallery, London, 15υth Feb -11υth March 2007

Indian Art III/III: Here and Now: Young voices from India, Grosvenor Vadehra Gallery, London, 2007, p.49

PROPERTY OF A EUROPEAN COLLECTOR
'The photographic clarity of Natesan's paintings at first alludes to a straightforward representation of the real. His canvases are filled with blocks of bright colour like the glossy pages of a magazine and distracting details are stripped down to the minimum. Indeed, the precision of his technique, combined with the appropriation of images gathered from popular culture, lulls the viewer into a sense of the familiar, the recognised and the emotionally detached.
However, Natesan injects his realism with a sense of irony, and often humour, seamlessly juxtaposing the everyday with unexpected symbols to unbalance the viewer's initial perceptions. Shock contrasts and encounters create strong metaphors, very much in the same vein as the German painter, Friedrich Casper David before him, to whom Natesan looks up to. Through the symbolism, the viewer is encouraged to shift and re-focus their gaze, and in many instances, to re-address their own socio-political beliefs. Topics of focus range from power structures and moral breakdown to racism and the predicament of the migrant.' (www.grosvenorgallery.com)