ESOTERIC EXPRESSIONS 2

This exhibition by K.S.Kulkarni attempts to showcase his oeuvre during the 1980s and 1990s. His style was classic and contemporary at the same time. He could get inspired by the traditional and mould it in his unique way to create a very contemporary artwork. His work was hugely influenced by the primitive and sometimes becomes totally abstract, the lines and colours possessing an urgency, derived from a direct contact with nature, and a refinement, which is arrived at by intense and intentional honing of his craft. To quote A.S.Raman, “Kulkarni’s visual images are strong because of the rendering of colour, which is their flesh and blood, and the drawing, which is their bone structure.”

The art of K.S.Kulkarni cannot be contained within one theme or concept. His art was all encompassing and was inspired by forces within and influences without. He was a versatile artist equally adept at abstracts and figurative- primitive and modern. He possessed a broad mental horizon and could react to objects and situations with an open mind. One could almost call his visuals- expressions of a spiritual self, which is rooted in Indian traditions but belongs to a more universal stage.

In his own words, “Beyond the influence of Indian culture and its ethos, my horizons are universal. I am interested in the universalizing of the human spirit. My concepts are not regional, tribal or spiritual and material is the matrix of my creative intent.”