Paintings on discoloured, old artefacts on display in Delhi

Reflections of the "old world charm" of broken, out-of-use artefacts, painted onto canvases with shades of earth and rust, are on display at Triveni Kala Sangam here till November 14.

The exhibition titled "Unearthly Rust" features 17 paintings by artist Yashpal, who received his art training from Chitrakoot and Gwalior, two cities which, he said, have a rich "heritage and an old, rustic feel".

"I am fascinated with things that break, get discoloured, fall out of use. The walls in our homes get cracked, blemished. My work surrounds everything old," Yashpal told IANS.

A striking 2018 "Untitled" work by the Delhi-based artist depicts a vintage, wooden door, with its copper-brown colours dripping in trickles.

Several other paintings have faint newspaper prints, muted colours and cracked walls adding to what Yashpal calls his artistic research on old artefacts.

"Seeing his work... feels as if old artefacts, clocks, doors, bells, windows have discoloured and condensed. They have been in connection with oxygen and water from thousands of years that have caused moisture and corrosion to them and that has deteriorated materials as a result of the chemical reactions... taking place among the dark brown, black, and rusty shades that Yashpal puts on his paper," the curatorial note on the solo show reads.

Discarded in real life, the artefacts seem to get a new lease of life in Yashpal's works.

The entry for the exhibition is free.

--IANS

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