Nature has always been a favourite subject for artists. Its beauty, mystery, and ever-changing forms have captivated humanity across centuries. Yet, for painters, nature poses a unique challenge—its diversity is so vast, its moods so ephemeral, that no single canvas can fully encompass its essence. The same sky changes colour from place to place; mountains surprise with their shifting shapes and structures; rivers, though eternal companions of the earth, are never the same at every turn or moment. Artists have long attempted to bring forth these myriad aspects, blending imagination with direct experience to create scenes that delight and mesmerise viewers.
This is precisely the
experience one encounters when standing before the paintings of senior artist
Rajesh Sharma. His solo exhibition, Crystal of Nature, will at the
Shridharani Art Gallery, Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi, India, from 8th May to
18th May 2025, offering viewers a glimpse into a distinctive vision of nature.
Rajesh Sharma’s work
seeks to capture not merely the outward appearance of nature but its radiant
inner spirit. While many landscape artists aim for a realistic representation,
Sharma transcends the literal, evoking the supernatural and sublime through his
unique use of colour, texture, and light. In Indian philosophical traditions,
the myriad forms of nature are imbued with divinity—an acknowledgement of their
life-giving powers. It is this sense of reverence, mystery, and vitality that
informs Sharma’s art.
Nature has long been a wellspring of inspiration for poets, philosophers, and artists. Across
centuries, painters have sought to express nature’s countless moods and moments
in varied styles, a tradition that continues to evolve. Yet few have forged as
distinctive a path as Rajesh Sharma. At a pivotal moment in the history of
landscape painting, when artists shifted their focus from human stories to the
land itself, Sharma embraced this shift wholeheartedly.
In Indian art,
especially within traditional painting, nature was often depicted in the service of
human emotions. Pure landscapes—unpopulated by figures or narratives—were rare
until the late 19th century. With the rise of the Bengal School and parallel
movements in Lucknow, Delhi, and beyond, landscape painting gradually emerged
as an independent genre. Within this tradition, Rajesh Sharma’s name stands
out, marking nearly five decades of dedication to the art of painting, with
over forty years immersed in exploring nature as his central muse. Today, he is
recognised as a significant figure both in Delhi and on the wider Indian art
scene.
His landscapes are not
tied to specific geographical locations. Instead, they emerge from deep
observation and an intuitive connection with the transient forms of nature.
Mountains, hills, plains, valleys, lakes, rivers, earth, and flora—all are
present in his canvases, yet they do not merely reproduce external scenery.
Rather, they convey a deeper resonance, evoking the soul of nature’s fleeting
manifestations.
Rajesh Sharma’s
paintings offer a dual experience: on the one hand, they evoke a comforting
sense of familiarity; on the other, they invite the viewer to look beyond the
surface, into the unseen and the unsaid. His canvases are suffused with a
cosmic play of light and colour, creating an atmosphere both luminous and
mysterious. The soft, silky caress of light, the delicate layering of colours,
and the interplay of lines and shapes together construct a world where beauty
and meaning are veiled, waiting to be uncovered.
In these works, the
shimmering particles of nature seem to glow from within—a quality that aptly
inspired the exhibition’s title, Crystal of Nature. This latest body of
work, spanning recent years, reveals a subtle yet significant evolution in
Sharma’s practice. Here, we see an intensified focus on the softness of
colours, the atmospheric blending of forms, and an ever-changing dialogue
between light and shadow. Through these delicate shifts, the viewer is invited
into a space where harmony and contrast co-exist, echoing nature’s own rhythms
of balance and transformation.
Each painting offers an
open entry point: whether one chooses to engage with the whispers of nature
through colour, or seeks to hear the silent voices embedded in textures and
forms, the journey is uniquely personal. Through his art, Rajesh Sharma endeavours
to make the inaudible voices of silence visible—those subtle murmurs that often
remain unspoken yet ever-present. His paintings reflect the presence of a
deeply sensitive artist, one who articulates a profound dialogue between nature
and mystery, weaving his vision through a unique colour language and aesthetic
sensibility.
At a time when the
urgency to reconnect with nature feels more pressing than ever, Rajesh Sharma’s
landscapes offer more than beauty; they provide an invitation to pause,
reflect, and feel. His paintings remind us to listen to the sound of silence
flowing within every tree, every mountain, every river. They ask us not just to
see nature, but to truly experience its unseen depths, its quiet mysteries, and
its timeless grace.
Dr. Ved Prakash
Bhardwaj
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