Header Images: Left- Anthony Carey – Alexandra,The Keystone Right- Newnes’ Pictorial Encyclopedia, Volume 9, On things that interest you and me. A stone Key.
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(1072) Soniya Amritlal Patel-Kashmiri Winter, Women in Focus
325
About this artwork
This artwork blends watercolour, photography, collage and digital art printed on Hahnemühle William Turner watercolour paper.
The piece pays homage to the strong, defiant and resisting women of Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir, and their ongoing fight for basic rights, peace and wellbeing.
Apart from the history and actual events occurring in Jammu and Kashmir, the point of departure that inspires this piece comes from page 115 of volume 4 of the 1950’s Newnes’ Pictorial Knowledge Encyclopedia, titled ’Preparing for the Winter’. The image which is my source for this project shows Russian women preparing for the bitter cold winter by filling gaps and applying wet clay to the gaps and crevices of their wooded homes.
Jammu and Kashmir, located in the Himalayas is ethnically diverse and famous for its stunningly beautiful lakes, pastures and snow-capped mountains. However, the winters, like in Russia are bone-chillingly bitter, commonly denominated as Chillai-Kalan.
Typically, women bear the load, quite literally on their heads, of carrying firewood while stocking up for the challenge of surviving the chills of Chillai-Kalan. This also involves collecting water, food rations, and other supplies, a staggering task in the rural areas of the region.
Women also bear the biggest brunt of conflicts usually instigated by men. In Kashmir women are becoming increasingly visible and vocal crying out and making their voices heard as they participate in protests rebelling against the boundaries of traditionally expected gender roles.
This artwork seeks recognition of the struggles and successes of extraordinary women worldwide.
About Soniya
I am inspired by an enduring motivation that feeds all my art production. The passion to cure the blues, to bring about deep joy, and help soar towards the heights of what one most seeks. In Lucian Freud’s words, I strive ”to astonish, disturb, seduce and convince”.
British born from India, I grew up in different parts of Africa. This must be why I have always been profoundly fascinated by people and cultures. The human drama, life as lived in ways that might seem ordinary, but are in fact extraordinary. People united by common needs, separated by prejudices and ignorance. I search for answers to a not wholly understood quest, through paint, colour and any media available.
I believe that any artistic creation ought to be spiritual, intellectual and take advantage of emotions. Art speaks of the sensitivity and gravity of imbalances.
Art may not always directly lead to social change, but it can open our eyes to what we have failed to see previously, what we refuse to see, what life inadvertently tells us. I firmly believe as Edgar Degas stated, often ”art is not what you see but what you make others see”.
Link to Soniya’s Art Aviso profile HERE
Soniya was provided with the following page from Newnes’ Pictorial Knowledge Encyclopedia:
Volume 4
The story of the world and it’s peoples.
Preparing for the Winter
This artwork blends watercolour, photography, collage and digital art printed on Hahnemühle William Turner watercolour paper.
The piece pays homage to the strong, defiant and resisting women of Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir, and their ongoing fight for basic rights, peace and wellbeing.
Apart from the history and actual events occurring in Jammu and Kashmir, the point of departure that inspires this piece comes from page 115 of volume 4 of the 1950’s Newnes’ Pictorial Knowledge Encyclopedia, titled ’Preparing for the Winter’. The image which is my source for this project shows Russian women preparing for the bitter cold winter by filling gaps and applying wet clay to the gaps and crevices of their wooded homes.
Jammu and Kashmir, located in the Himalayas is ethnically diverse and famous for its stunningly beautiful lakes, pastures and snow-capped mountains. However, the winters, like in Russia are bone-chillingly bitter, commonly denominated as Chillai-Kalan.
Typically, women bear the load, quite literally on their heads, of carrying firewood while stocking up for the challenge of surviving the chills of Chillai-Kalan. This also involves collecting water, food rations, and other supplies, a staggering task in the rural areas of the region.
Women also bear the biggest brunt of conflicts usually instigated by men. In Kashmir women are becoming increasingly visible and vocal crying out and making their voices heard as they participate in protests rebelling against the boundaries of traditionally expected gender roles.
This artwork seeks recognition of the struggles and successes of extraordinary women worldwide.
About Soniya
I am inspired by an enduring motivation that feeds all my art production. The passion to cure the blues, to bring about deep joy, and help soar towards the heights of what one most seeks. In Lucian Freud’s words, I strive ”to astonish, disturb, seduce and convince”.
British born from India, I grew up in different parts of Africa. This must be why I have always been profoundly fascinated by people and cultures. The human drama, life as lived in ways that might seem ordinary, but are in fact extraordinary. People united by common needs, separated by prejudices and ignorance. I search for answers to a not wholly understood quest, through paint, colour and any media available.
I believe that any artistic creation ought to be spiritual, intellectual and take advantage of emotions. Art speaks of the sensitivity and gravity of imbalances.
Art may not always directly lead to social change, but it can open our eyes to what we have failed to see previously, what we refuse to see, what life inadvertently tells us. I firmly believe as Edgar Degas stated, often ”art is not what you see but what you make others see”.
Link to Soniya’s Art Aviso profile HERE
Soniya was provided with the following page from Newnes’ Pictorial Knowledge Encyclopedia:
Volume 4
The story of the world and it’s peoples.
Preparing for the Winter
Artist:
Soniya Amritlal PatelMedium:
Watercolour, Photography, Mixed media, Collage and Digital ArtDimensions:
A4Price:
325 EUR