Artwork Details
- Title
- AARJA
- Artist
- Date
- 1972
- Location
- Dimensions
- 66 1⁄4 x 167 x 2 1⁄8 in.
- Credit Line
- Gift of Natvar and Janet Bhavsar
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- pigment and acrylic on canvas
- Classifications
- Object Number
- 2025.38
Artwork Description
From a distance, AARJA suggests luminous clouds of dust or gas set in motion. Up close, the painting's complex surface reveals fine texture and unexpected sparks of color.
Natvar Bhavsar does not paint with a brush. Instead, he lays his canvases flat and, varying his speed and direction, sifts dozens of layers of dry powder pigment onto their surfaces.
Bhavsar's art emerged in the context of New York color field painting in the 1960s, characterized by abundant areas of color on large canvases. But it also reflects his upbringing in India, where his mother's family worked as textile dyers and the spring festival of Holi is celebrated by the throwing of colored water or powder.
"I brought color with me from India," said the artist. "Our religion is imbued with color, it is part of our daily lives."