| The
Painter and the Path
John Tun Sein is an
artist who has never been in a hurry for anything in his life or
his profession, patiently traveling
to and fro between his creativity and solitude.
He places his paintings in a way that would navigate us on the same
journey. His works reflect evidence of his
meditative accomplishments through painterly solitude. This is completely
disclosed in his canvas for true appreciation
by the viewer as well as the critic.
I call him ‘Little Buddha’ – a believer is non-violence,
calmness and quietness, sympathy and love that guide him to
discover what goes unnoticed in human life. The tranquility is his
default and painting an innate desire. His incredible
consistency projects a larger symphony interwoven with forms and
cordial colours for the eyes to listen.
An experimentalist by nature, he shows acute concern for the intangible
aspects of contemporary sensibilities
remolding them into sensory colour fields; thus surfing on a wave
and emerging out of several complimentary forces
of form and formlessness.
For John Tun Sein, the canvas is the gravitational centre of his
life. Though he paints introvertedly, what reflects in
his work is the silent participation of everything that exists around;
the air that keeps moving in and out or the light
that changes the tonal qualities of the atmosphere within and without.
They all mark their impression on him and
his artistic act.
He believes in ‘expanding totality’ that begins in his
personal perception and grows out to enhance itself in the outer
world through his works. Therefore, there are no definite signs,
symbols or clues, not even the slightest indications
or suggestions in his expressionistic paintings. Instead it is just
a magnetic visual that needs to be felt by the viewer
on his own.
| This
essay was written by Prabhakar Kolte for an exhibition titled
"The Painter and the Path" held by Gallery Art.Motif
in 2007. |
Prabhakar Kolte
Mumbai, September 2007
|
