JIVA by Ompal Sansanwal

Welcome to ‘Jiva’, an exhibition exalting the splendour and timeless essence of nature, interwoven with the mythic narratives of India's Puranas. Within this collection, Ompal Sansanwal, a recipient of the National Award, invites viewers into a realm where trees transcend mere botanical subjects to embody epic tales and symbolic creatures.
For three decades, Sansanwal has devoted his artistry exclusively to the arboreal realm, crafting delicate renderings that evoke the profound interconnection between humanity and the natural world. His reverence for the banyan tree, a source of lifelong inspiration, underscores his belief in nature as a sanctified realm, eternal and sublime. Embracing the Purusha Prakriti principle, Sansanwal's oeuvre delves into botanical studies imbued with surrealistic flourishes rooted in realism. Through a masterful fusion of acrylic and pen and ink, his canvases pulsate with the hues of dawn and dusk, casting a luminous aura upon the viewer. Bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, each tree resonates with a symphony of refractive indices and vivid sienna tones, capturing the vitality and resilience inherent in nature's cycles. Against a backdrop of ochre-textured strokes juxtaposed with smoked sienna, Sansanwal's compositions evoke a sense of harmony and ethereal tranquility, inviting contemplation of our enduring connection to the ever-unfolding tapestry of time. As we stand before these works, we are reminded of our shared origins, rooted in the sacred soil from which all life springs forth.