.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Day's Eye belongs to a series of fifteen paintings painted between 1997 and 1999 which take as their central concern the so called 'problem of painting'. As a painter Atul Dodiya is concerned by the challenges presented by the dominance of conceptual art. He reasserts the validity of painting through an inventive use of materials and a unique take on the history of art.
Armed with a superb command over a whole range of painting techniques and styles, Dodiya creates formally inventive images which are metaphorically suggestive. His lavish imagery makes visual references to religious paintings, movie posters, billboards and his own favourite paintings. In Day's Eye the central figure is the artist himself, sprawled across a canvas alive with daisies and a pink distended face in the style of a Philip Guston. It is clear that the artist enjoys playing with styles, and merging them in unexpected ways to excite and intrigue the viewer.
Armed with a superb command over a whole range of painting techniques and styles, Dodiya creates formally inventive images which are metaphorically suggestive. His lavish imagery makes visual references to religious paintings, movie posters, billboards and his own favourite paintings. In Day's Eye the central figure is the artist himself, sprawled across a canvas alive with daisies and a pink distended face in the style of a Philip Guston. It is clear that the artist enjoys playing with styles, and merging them in unexpected ways to excite and intrigue the viewer.