Colours of abstraction 7th January 2008 Hyderabad Timescatches up with contemporary artist, George Oommen, a Harvard graduate and an architect who divides his time between studying art and touring the world to showcase his impressions of the backwaters of Kerala From a torrent of colours to a subtle blend of monochromatic hues, landscapes to closed spaces, close-ups to wide-angle views, concrete to abstract…at first glance, George Oommens paintings look as though they belong to the same taxonomy, but only on closer inspection does one discover contradictions. “I paint from memory, because the mind remembers only those pictures which make a profound impression, and only those are worth painting,” says Oommen, who is in Hyderabad to exhibit his art till January 11.An architect by profession, who has spent nearly three decades in the US, it is evident from his paintings that Oommen considers India, particularly the backwaters of Kerala, his muse. Thus Oommens works take us on a journey to the land of his ancestral home, capturing it in all its vividness, in different moods and expressions. Images range from tropical evergreen forests to a dewy morning sunrise and palm tree reflections on azure backwaters. Every pore of the visual expression on the canvas drips with nostalgia. Its not only the Kerala series, that grabbed the attention of art critics, but also his painting series called Sacred Places Within You that dwells upon his personal spiritual experience. “I saw a movie made on India by Louise Malle, called Phantom India, in which there is a girl dancing in a temple with deep intensity. Later when I visited a temple myself, I realised that the space of the temple is such that it descends gradually to a tiny dark room, until you feel nothing exists but your heartbeat, and that’s where God resides. Thus the series was born which depicts geometric patterns, blending surprising hues of vibrant colours merging into dim shades of indigo.” Oommen, who recently quit his profession as an architect, to take up his passion for painting full time, has yet another series that captures his artistic brilliance called Kanjeevaram, inspired by the Kanjeevaram silk saris of south India. The series was also the beginning of his romance with colours. “It’s great to experiment and find out what effect different colours can have when blended together, to get that ‘silk like sheen.” The Kanjeevaram paintings were created to raise funds for Tsunami victims from this region. “I wanted to create something that people would connect with. The paintings exude the mores of Kanjeevaram. I call this an ode to the weavers of that region.” When asked about his other interests, he easily switches over from the persona of an intense artistic genius to a guy next door. “I love listening to music, especially Indian classical(instrumental), and cooking. You can make that out by my size,” he adds light-heartedly, and then goes on to share his cooking anecdotes. “I once invited Ustad Ali Akbar Khan saab over for dinner, when he was performing in Boston. I took a day off, just to cook for him. And at the end of it all he asked which lady cooked the delicious meal!”One realises that contradictions can exist harmoniously, in a painting, in a person, and even in life. And no matter how much we try to give expression to those, they remain abstract. Just like Oommen’s art.