The life itself is a work of art through which unconsciously the paintings appear…

the works of Anil Gaikwad have a certain aura of their own, as the light emanating from the Colour pervades the canvases, resulting in the feel of sublime and serene. the light here is cool like moonlight or the light as we see during the sunset or the early morning. one may identify his images with certain terrain, valley or a landscape, yet we know for sure that he is not painting a landscape, instead he delves deep in to an innerscape, which unfolds gradually and creates a terra incognita. this is a neutral territory, an unknown place, which has been explored in a dream like state to realise, and transfuse one self with a certain tranquility. the attainment of this tranquility at a deeper level becomes a sustaining factor for the sensibilities at stake in these aggressive times. thus the journey taken toward such a terra incognita is not only for aesthetic enrichment but for emotive content. he starts from the total darkness of the canvas (created by application of the black entirely) and with application of pastels, searches for the illuminating signifiers in different tonal variations. his canvases for the viewer become a meditative place to realise one’s own feel for the nature and self, and seem to help in grasping the other reality. the grains of the canvases peering through the pastel colours are absorbing, and relate to the path traverssed.

PRAYAG SHUKLA