Vasumitr

03/25/2023

Van Gogh’s paintings of Sunflowers are among his most famous. He did them in Arles, in the south of France, in 1888 and 1889. Vincent painted a total of five large canvases with sunflowers in a vase, with three shades of yellow ‘and nothing else’. In this way, he demonstrated that it was possible to create an image with numerous variations of a single colour, without any loss of eloquence.��The sunflower paintings had a special significance for Van Gogh: they communicated ‘gratitude’, he wrote. The very famous and first version of, Vase With Twelve Sunflowers, painted in 1888. Vase With Twelve Sunflowers was painted as decoration for the Yellow House, the apartment Van Gogh rented and hoped to turn into an artist studio. A place he could invite fellow artists and they could work side by side as they developed their craft. There are two versions of this enigmatic painting, still to this day considered one of the most remarkable still life paintings ever completed.

Vincent Van Gogh Paintings at Neue Pinakothek, Munich
is 12 sunflowers in a vase painted on blue green background.

I copied this world famous painting , first in the series of five paintings by Vincent Van Gogh of sunflowers in a vase as a part of my attempt to study his art and style .

02/19/2022

Autumn

“ I hope I can be the autumn leaf, who looked at the sky and lived. And when it was time to leave, gracefully it knew life was a gift”
- Dodinsky

Always fascinated by the vibrant colours of leaves in autumn be it was in Kashmir during my first posting at Srinagar, or in Switzerland, or parks in London now, I tried to capture it on canvas. The painting is a combination of palette knife and brush strokes for impasto technique.

02/19/2022

Welcome Spring Season !

Cherry blossom (Sakura)

What a strange thing! To be alive beneath cherry blossoms."
-Kobayashi Issa.
Cherry blossoms are a symbolic flower of the spring, a time of renewal, and the fleeting nature of life. Their life is very short. After their beauty peaks around two weeks, the blossoms start to fall. ... Hanami literally means “watching blossoms,” and the tradition can be traced back at least a thousand years. Cherry blossoms, also known in Japan as 'Sakura', are an emblem of love, and they also symbolize good luck.
Cherry blossoms occupy a special place in Japanese traditions. The 'Hanami' festival in Japan is marked by the presence of cherry blossom, it is a time to celebrate life's beauty, regain perspective and appreciate the good things that happen in life.
Note: I tried to capture the beauty of Cherry Blossom in this painting in impressionists style reminiscing the time I spent in Kashmir and Shillong while posted there.

09/25/2021

Bruges , Belgium
My most favourite holiday destination. When one imagines Belgium, they often are thinking of Bruges. Canals loop across the town like a string of pearls, creating the well-earned moniker of 'the Venice of the North'. With cobblestone paths, brick archways, stone churches and quaint bridges.The addition of swans on the water, horse drawn carriages in the lanes and daffodils in the park make it nearly magical. I tried to capture the beauty of the place in this painting.

09/08/2021

Night view from South Bank London

Westminster Bridge is a road-and-foot-traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, linking Westminster on the west side and Lambeth on the east side. Westminster is the bustling government area . At the Houses of Parliament, by the River Thames, the Big Ben bell rings out from its iconic clock tower. Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the striking clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster, although the name is frequently extended to also refer to the clock and the clock tower.

09/06/2021

08/31/2021

Venice at night
The iconic view of the Grand Canal from Rialto bridge is a treat for anyone visiting Venice. I tried to capture the panoramic mic view of the Grand Canal as it is seen from the bridge. The lighted market on both the sides of the canal and the open restaurants on the right bank serving multi cuisine gourmet look fabulous at night. The jetty on the left bank, passing passenger boats, Gondolas and shoppers at the Rialto market keep the Canal lively all through the day and the night. The painting is in modern impressionist style.

08/20/2021

London at night

Tower bridge London is a happening place throughout the day and more so at night with lot many fine dining places around giving a panoramic view of the bridge and the river Thames from their glass windows many a times displaying a plethora of bright colours in the sky with the bridge at the foreground. I tried to paint the tower bridge reliving one such evening . The painting is in modern impressionist style .

08/10/2021

Monsoon moods

Paris street on a rainy night

Night walks on Paris streets are romantic and when it rains and one gets the raindrops on the face it is a life time experience to be cherished forever. It was one such night when we were roaming aimlessly hand in hand , passing through shops and bistros smelling the aroma of hot coffee and beer, enjoying the weather. I tried to relive it on the canvas. It is in modern impressionist style using palette knife, made popular by Lenoid Afremov a Belarusian born Israeli/Mexican painter.

07/23/2021

An ode to India Post

This is a tribute to an organisation of which I was a part for about 34 years.
I tried this painting in synthetic cubism style. I normally copy the styles of impressionists and post impressionists like Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh . This is my very first attempt to paint in cubist style. I have used various symbols of post office and tried to assimilate them in a collage form. The symbols depicted are Penny black, Stamp with Ashok pillar , Postman, Letter box, Round stamp , Oblong stamp, Envelop, Inland, Air mail envelop, Stamp, Postman bag, Mail Van, Aircraft, Triangular cancellation , Round cancellation , Pin code, India post logo, International letter Mail, Post, and Cancellation cachet