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| Praveen Saini |
When the
tenderness of nature and the fluid grace of watercolour descend together onto
paper or canvas through an artist’s brush, the viewer is inevitably spellbound.
The art of senior artist Praveen Saini is infused with this same sensitivity. Nature
and spirituality have been his cherished and central themes. His solo
exhibition titled ‘Beauty
of Nature’ was held from 4 to 10 January 2026 at Gallery No. 1
of the Lalit Kala Akademi in Delhi. In this exhibition, he primarily presented
watercolour works created on paper.
During his
travels to various places, Praveen Saini often creates small-sized watercolour
paintings. In this process, he engages in a direct dialogue with nature,
shaping visual images that also carry a poetic sensibility. The remarkable play
of light and shadow can be clearly seen in his works. The grandeur of distant
mountains, along with the vastness of the landscape, becomes encompassed within
a small picture. Within that expansive terrain, one can also sense organic
movement and the mysterious play of nature—phenomena that may not be fully
comprehensible, yet so deeply captivate the human mind that the viewer feels
compelled to keep looking.
Although many
artists are active in the field of landscape painting, the depth of feeling,
dedication, and commitment with which Praveen Saini works distinguish him
from his contemporaries. The presence of imagination in landscape creation is
natural, but in Praveen Saini’s paintings, even this imagination appears
closely aligned with reality—as if it were a sensitive extension of what has
been directly observed.
Dr Ved Prakash Bhardwaj and Praveen Saini
The beauty and sensibility of landscape in watercolour have a long and rich
history in human artistic tradition. Across cultures and centuries, artists
have turned to nature as a source of inspiration, emotion, and contemplation.
However, it is neither fair nor meaningful to compare artists who create
watercolour landscapes, as each artist’s vision is deeply shaped by their
cultural background, personal philosophy, and relationship with nature.
An Indian landscape and a European landscape are naturally different, not
merely in visual appearance but in the very approach and mindset of the artist.
In the European tradition, landscape painting has often been rooted in
observation, realism, or aesthetic appreciation of nature as an external
subject. In contrast, in India, landscape painting emerges from a more intimate
and inward engagement with the natural world.
In the Indian artistic tradition, art is not just an act of representation but
a holistic and spiritual experience. It is seen as a way of connecting with the
larger cosmos, with life, and with the divine presence within nature. Indian
landscape artists do not simply depict mountains, rivers, trees, or skies; they
experience and internalise them as living, breathing entities. Their paintings
often carry a sense of kindness, reverence, and gratitude toward nature for
offering a beautiful, nurturing, and harmonious environment.
Thus, Indian watercolour landscapes are not merely visual depictions of
scenery but expressions of a spiritual sensibility—where nature is not a
separate object to be painted but a sacred presence to be felt, honoured, and
celebrated through art.
-Dr Ved Prakash Bhardwaj
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