Vandana Sehgal
Principal and Dean, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, AKTU, Lucknow
Q. Tell us about that little girl who was fond of Painting in Chandigarh during her childhood days?
I do not remember a time when did not paint. My father used to get these chart papers in bulk and my sister and I used to paint the Christmas and New Year cards in scores. I used to take part in every painting competition that was held and many times, won prizes. In the boarding school, there was an art room and I was lucky that my art teacher gave me free access to it. I painted in all my free time, mostly copying from the school’s notice boards but my father always pushed me to paint my imagination.
Q. Your topic in PhD. was ”Infinite in Architecture” can you tell us more about it?
Joining the Architecture College, I had arts and graphics as a subject which I was quite good at. My PhD topic was Abstract Ideas in Architecture. I had taken the abstract idea of the infinite as an example to prove my hypothesis of comparing the Oriental and the Indian architectural philosophy with the Western architectural philosophy and their impact on the contemporary architectural thought. Indian architecture is based on an ancient planning principle where the visible form alludes to the unseen. The square plan of the Garbagriha/sanctum sanctorum in a Hindu temple is based on the form of a mandala (geometric representation of the cosmos) which contains the cycles of measurable time. This cyclic continuity connotes the order of things in the cosmos – the time/space or the abstraction of the ‘infinite’. Western architecture is based on architectural principles that are logical and scientific. The representation of an abstract idea like ‘infinity’ in western architecture is limited in its scope because the moment one contains space, (as architecture is defined formally) it becomes finite.
Q. Tell us more about your love for paintbrushes and canvases?
As I said earlier, I do not remember a time when I did not paint as a child. I did not know the rules and the technicalities then, which had its own advantages and disadvantages. Since I did not know the rules, I painted mostly instinctively, combining colours the way I wanted to, used the medium in my own way.
I paint mostly for myself, as a form of meditation. The feel of the colour across a canvas gives me a creative high and helps me maintain a balance in life.
I feel that my journey as a professional artist has been pre-destined. I am most fascinated by the architectural spaces and their manifestations, so my first exhibition was ‘In Between Spaces’. My father wrote his own interpretation of the Ramayana and he wanted me to paint some illustrations for it. So I painted the whole story of Ram in 65 paintings, which were exhibited in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Lucknow. I did a solo exhibition on the architecture and monuments of Lucknow as this was very close to my profession and I wanted to give it expression through my brush.
On a visit to Vrindavan on Holi, the fervour for Krishna and the fact that he was accessible in everyone’s eyes changed something in me. I read the literature available on him and realized that Krishna is a ‘concept’. It inspired me to paint ‘The Woman and Krishna’. Nowadays, I am working on Kashi and Shiva. I have painted a lot of mythological characters. The advantage of working with them is that people relate to them with ease but that also works adversely as they have been painted many times. So, my depiction and expression have to be different. My works exhibit my preoccupation with spaces, whether physical or metaphysical. These spaces are in between the sacred and the profane, the clamour and the silence, the light and the dark, and are the prime receptacle for life in reality and of the mind.
Q. How do you manage the three roles – an Artist, an Architect, and an Academician apart from other roles, you play in life?
As an architect, my preoccupation with spaces is instinctive. I am trained to perceive the potency and impact of the open and bounded, the enclosure and the unenclosed, the infinite and the limited and the excitement of experiencing them sequentially or simultaneously. These spaces, not only are physical manifestations but also acquire the life, texture, smell and feel of the inhabitants. These paintings are a reflection of the spaces that are etched as ‘deep structures’ in my mind and mirror their soul. The architect in me wants to build spaces that may be impossible but the artist in me creates them on canvas. My academic bent of mind and the researcher in me fuels my themes as I want to express the mythical intangible thoughts through art as well as written genre. So basically all three complement and strengthen each other.
Q. What message would you give to the readers of Women Shine?
Women have the ability to smile through any adversity and pain. If they believe in themselves, there is nothing that they can’t conquer.
-by Team WS
If you would like to enquire or buy any of her paintings do call us at 9792201002.
