Viveek Sharma
Viveek Sharma was born in Mumbai in 1968. He completed his BFA from Sir J. J. School of Art in 1994, one of the oldest and most prestigious art institutions in India that is home to many world-famous alumni. Residencies in Germany and Switzerland have given him a further opportunity to study and work in a newer context and get inspired by some of the European masters.
His work is held in important private and corporate collections within India and overseas, including a commissioned artwork that he did for Troubadour, Tokyo. The exceptional quality of Viveek’s brushstrokes, the depth of his compositions, and his often symbolic references convey a unique feeling of contemplation. A painter of metaphors, mostly in oil on canvas, Viveek is recognized for his large-sized photorealistic renderings. In his works, we see an aspect of superrealism that gives into the absurd and magical. Many of his works reflect the here and now; realities that evoke strong sentiments, and play a role in the configuration of our emotions. His work devotes ample space to teach us how to see the miraculous in the vernacular and elevate our powerlessness as subjects to aspects of the sublime. The persona of the artist appears in several of his compositions. In a mix of the real and imagined, there is an engaging depiction of the street processions, celebrations and the slums of Dharavi as well as eminent figures, popular icons and moments of history – ranging from Mahatma Gandhi to Obama to the 26/11 terror siege of Mumbai.
The artist studies obscure expressions and complexity of feeling through the rhythm of his brush, using a meditative and intricate repetition of the pointillist technique to create patterns of light and shade, hue and colour for the eyes to behold. The tones themselves are blended to evoke consciousness of certain psychologically representative colours — saffron and green, vermillion, white and calm blue. They are visual suggestions towards a concentrated core of understanding, where introspection brings about the experience of silence and vice versa.
His exhibit with us is titled Weathering Heights (72x60 inches) an Oil on Canvas made in the year 2021. Weathering Heights is the breaking down of rocks, soil and minerals as well as artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, biota and waters and Heights is from Spiritual Heights. Many of us who practice meditation have not established spirituality as the basis. In order for man to reach spiritual heights, he does not need to meditate at all. The painting reflects the deep contemplation of the holy man. The title is also a take on Wuthering Heights which is Emily Brontë's first and only published novel, written between October 1845 and June 1846, and published in 1847.
