Four-ever artistic

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Just like four streams flowing in four different directions and singing their own songs of creativity, four veterans, each with a distinctive style, came together to display their paintings.

Their ‘togetherness’ is motivated by affection and reverence for each other. Jivan Adalja, S.K. Sahni, K. Damodaran and Prem Singh have ripened with age, but their passion towards their art is exemplary. As they talk about their paintings, we cannot help but notice the twinkle in their eyes.
“Human expressions always fascinate me. I am often amused by the ocean of feelings a face can convey in a single moment. These emotional plays hold me to ransom and I ultimately surrender to the artistic instinct. I try and capture all these and thus, in most of my works you will see human forms and faces,” smiles Jivan Adalja, the senior-most in the group. He has been painting for more than 50 years now. He has been honoured with Mabarasbtra State Award, Gujarat State Award, Poland ‘Magazine cover design’ Award and National Award.
S.K. Sahni has worked as a curator at National Gallery of Modern Arts and has been involved with educational art at Bal Bhawan. Earlier in his life, he was involved in creative figurative expressions but soon veered towards creating something novel and original.
He chose interplay of lines drawn with precision to create a unique world. “A straight line is pure, unsentimental and unconditional of any subjective feelings. I always felt creating something emotional with them is a challenge. They can evoke moods and emotions in conjunction with other lines,” says S.K. Sahni.
Post-retirement from the National Gallery of Modern Arts, he takes art classes for children.
Although Prem Singh is not in the country and is travelling abroad on work, the other artists make it a point to talk about his work. Nature is the driving force behind his work.
K. Damodaran reveals that he is a leftist at heart and has been an active student leader in his heydays. But he points out that his works do not really espouse any ideology. “My work is primarily abstract and I have painted across all mediums like acrylic, pastel, pen and even digital. My paintings reflect how I look at the universe. I just keep on exploring new facets of it,” he says. He is well-informed, a sensitive artist and deeply attached to the Kerala landscape.
With their life experiences, the four artists create a beautiful melange of life in all its colours and shades.