Since I was a child, I have had an aversion to orange, the color - or perhaps, more accurately, wearing the color. It is that one color which you will never ever find in my wardrobe or my accessories or anything that I own, really: I find it much too bright and overwhelming to wear (strictly my opinion, of course). During my teenage years, I lived in neutrals, hardly even daring to experiment with color although that has dramatically changed - whether its turquoise or lime-green or fuchsia, I have learnt to embrace color. (Although I do have my neutral or what I call 'camouflage' days!) However, when it comes to orange, I don't think I can wear an orange outfit although I have found myself making concessions and wearing clothing, which has minimal orange accents. My aversion previously extended towards yellow as well but for some reason, I have changed my mind about the color and am actually on the hunt for the perfect yellow tunic/blouse/top...yes, I know what you are thinking - perhaps, I will have a change of heart when it comes to orange as well but I somehow don't see that happening just that soon:)
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| Trishla Jain: Unicorn |
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| Trishla Jain: Life of Pi |
As the quirky, whimsical name suggests, the exhibition is brightness central, drenched in an artistic joie de vivre. When it comes to my preferences in visual art, I adore quiet, unadorned minimalism as much as a maximalist piece, where the colors and textures and patterns are literally having a party. In Jain's case, it is as much fun to look at her pieces as it is to peer closer and try to decode the madness that's joyfully reigning through the works (for example, there is a running motif of chandeliers throughout the collection).
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| Trishla Jain: Comic Coffee Table |
Apart from two-dimensional works, Jain has also used furniture such as chairs and coffee-table as canvases; I like this particular example and interpretation of marrying art with functionality...what an incredible riotous splash of color it would be to place one such piece in a minimalist, white-hued room - it would be like living in Holi the year around! Anymore though and it would be a visual surfeit...nonetheless, I would have very much enjoyed seeing these works in flesh, so to speak, but had to content myself with seeing their virtual selves.
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| Trishla Jain: Summer Salt |
I also liked Jain's titles for each piece - having often struggled with titling works (poems, short stories, articles, photographs, even these blog posts), I think the relationship between the title and the work is enormously important and impacts the way the audience perceive the work. Also, for me, in many cases, it is the final flourish to the work, the summing up of my perception and associations with that it. And while many artists do choose to title their works as simply Untitled, I do think that by providing a title, you are investing the work with yet another layer. For me (as an audience member), at least, it is an invaluable framework through which to perceive the work.
My relationship with visual art is not necessarily what I would always describe as fun:) I find art to be a sanctuary: it calms me down. It has made me think and contemplate. At times, I have simply reveled in the sheer aesthetics of a work. In this case, I had great fun looking at the pieces and may I add, it was quite a difficult task to curate pictures simply for the purpose of this post. I wonder if the presence of all those bright pops of color were responsible for creating the fun element? Whatever the case and my feelings towards wearing orange, I certainly wouldn't mind seeing splashes of it adorn my walls and interiors!
What is your relationship with color? Is there a color that you simply cannot bear?
Images courtesy Trishla Jain
The background of your blog is dark orange! :D
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting thing to blog about. I'm beginning to understand recently that the most compelling bits of writing are the most personal. They are interesting and unforgettable because the author is being honest about their feelings and thought patterns in his/her own voice.
I have always disliked wearing white. I used to think that it made me look lumpy like a fluffed up pillow or made my skin look dull, but I've lately started feeling like it makes me feel like a glowy graceful angel instead. Way to go from a out-of-shape headrest to a divine being made of light. That evolution has got to mean something.
Now, isn't this interesting? I always saw the blog background as rust red!
DeleteMy aversion to orange has been a long-time quirk, in fact, I almost had a visceral dislike of it - however, significantly enough, blogging about it has made me actually question as to why I exactly dislike it so much. No answers yet!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts re: wearing white! Now, I, for one, cannot love white enough. But yeah, you are right - the transition from fluffed up pillow to glowy angel *has* to mean something! It's like me potentially wearing orange and transitioning from feeling like a mandarin-flavored popsicle to vivacious and energetic:)
There was this ice-cream seller that used to sell yellow popsicles and orange popsicles in our moholla in Lucknow where I used to go every summer as a kid. Both flavours were nice, but the orange one was better. It had more juice. Mmmmmmmmm.
DeleteIt occurred to me that I have never even eaten an orange popsicle! *shakes head* seriously, color issues:P
DeleteAnd I totally agree with you about titling one's work. I always title my work at the end, and I think I need to be just as creative and in-the-flow about it as when I'm coming up with the actual piece. It makes such a difference. It's like giving birth to a child and then quickly giving it a flat boring name without putting some thought into it.
ReplyDeleteYour analogy regarding titling and naming of a child is so apt...titling for me can be quite an agonising process and I confess that have often resorted to easy cop-outs of titles. Sometimes, they suffice but other times, I compel myself to be a little more introspective about it. However, for example,this blog-post title came rather spontaneously and suddenly though!
DeleteMe too, me too, and funnily I actually really noticed the title of this blog post. I envy good titles, and this one had that la-la-la-omg-here-it-comes feel that is so dee-lish in a bite-sized way.
DeleteOmg, I have never received so much appreciation for what I consider to be a mere title! Thank you so much for it and also for motivating me to be even more creative/imaginative about my titles in the future:)
DeleteAnd you, me!!
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