pravin utge

Painted Lyrics Dreamy eyed lasses populate the canvases of Pravin Utge. These girls with syrupy looks are engaged in different daily activities; some of them are religious, some of them are playful and yet another lot is in conversation with nature. The serene atmosphere created by the artist takes the viewer to a different realm of aesthetical pleasure. There is no agitation and conflict in the lives of these young protagonists. They are not led by any ‘isms’ or ideologies. In their dreamy lives, they are perfect and sedate, and they tend to remain eternal like the imageries of love in a ballad. Formally speaking, the cool colors that Pravin employs to build up the backdrop of the paintings are apt to represent the ‘ritus’ (seasons) of India. With the shifting tones of yellows, reds, whites and blues, the artist captures the essence of the Indian seasons. It would be the folly of a viewer if he/she is not reminded of the Hindustani classical ragas and the plays written by the legendary poet, Kalidasa. Like in the great literary works and the musical narratives, the changes of the seasons connote the changes in the lives of a woman. Though the life of a woman in our times is conflict ridden, the artist does not want to critically approach the politico-cultural aspects of it. Instead, he invests his energies on highlighting the eternal beauty of woman and her soul. Their bodies, almost transparent and translucent in their treatment do not just represent their erotic potential but they symbolically bring the spiritual purity. An interested viewer could see that Pravin does not attempt to bring the quotidian aspects of an urban woman’s life, instead he focuses on the desired lyricism of the rural life. This desired lyricism of rural life is a projection of the artistic thinking on the harsh realities of the present day life of people whether it is in the urban spaces or in the rural areas. But by submerging them with the lyrical beauty of these paintings the artist intends to show the world that this could be a possibility; a return to the primal innocence where the girls live a carefree life by looking into the mirrors and playing in the lotus ponds. This possibility is a metaphorical one as the artist understands that such possibilities are realized only in the realm of art. In Pravin Utge’s works modern paintings techniques meet the traditional tempera and pigment oriented painting methods. These paintings derive their creative and imaginative energies from the traditional murals, folk and tribal art and the Indian miniatures. Though there is a deliberate reduction of narrative strategies in these works, the artist intends these frozen moments of depiction to be a part of the larger narrative, which as I aforementioned, could be both lyrical and musical. Keen eyes could see how Pravin Utge divides the pictorial plane into different levels in order to facilitate the blooming of the painterly thematic. Even in their insular zones, Pravin very skillfully incorporate the religious, domestic, public and secular matters (as in worshiping, playing, processions and so on) pertaining to the lives of women. Also, by gathering them as group images, Pravin suggests that even in their remote lives, women are always united by their womanhood itself.

Education : 1999-2002 : G.D Art (Drawing and Painting). 1997-1999 : Art Teacher Diploma, Chitrakala Mahavidyalay, Latur. 2002-2003 : Dip-A-Ed (Diploma in Art Edu), B. K.Mahavidylay, Pune.

Solo show : 2006 : Jahangir Art Gallery, Mumbai. 2007 : Royal Art Gallery, Mumbai. 2010 : Jahangir Art Gallery, Mumbai. 2015. :. My IndianArt Gallery, Kolkata. 2015. : Ardizen Artworks Gallery, Pune. 2015. : Jahangir Art Gallery , Mumbai 2016. :. G.A.F , Dubai. 2016. :. G.A.F. Mumbi. 2017. : Taj art gallery, Taj Mahal palace, Mumbai. Organised Artland India Mumbai 2018. :. Taj art Gallery, Taj Mahal palace, Mumbai. Organised Artland India Gallery Mumbai 2018. :. G.A.F. Mumbai 2019. :. G.A.F. Mumbai 2019. :. Jehangir art Gallery. Mumbai 2020 : Artland India, Mumbai.

Group show : 1999/2002 : Annual Art Exhibition, Balganharva Kala Dalan , Pune. 2 : Hotel Holiday Inn, Pune. 2003 : Bajaj Art Gallery, Mumbai. 2004/05/06 : The Colour Wheel(Art Gallery) Singapore. 2006/07 : Vinayasa Art Gallery, Chennai. 2007 : Kolkatta Organised Show by P. R. Art Gallery, Mumbai. 2007 : Legacy Art Gallery, Mumbai. 2007 : India Art Gallery, Pune. 2008 : D. D. Neroy Art Gallery, Mumbai. 2010 : Ray Art Gallery, Pune. 2010 : 18”x 18” – Apparao Art Gallery, Chennai. 2011 : Urban Art Studio, Noida. 2011 : 18”x 18” – Apprao Art Gallery, Delhi. 2012 : J. S. Art Gallery, Mumbai. 2013 : Art Phoenix” Cymroza Art Gallery, Mumbai. 2013 : Brushstrokes, Nagpur. 2013 : Brushstrokes, Goa 2014. :. Artist Mindz Gallery , Bhubaneswar, 2014. :. My IndianArt Gallery, Kolkata. 2015. :. J.S. Art Gallery, Surat. 2016 :. "Paus" J.S. Art Gallery , Pune. 2016. :. "Monsoon" Artland India , Mumbai 2016. :. "Color" Organised Artland India, Mumbai. 2017. : Taj art gallery, Organised Artland India Mumbai 2018 :. "Colors" org Artland India, Mumbai. 2018. :. Taj art gallery, Org Artland India. 2019 : Gallery Space, Hyderabad. 2020 : ‘colours’ present by Artland Jehangir art Gallery 2020 : pradarshak Art Gallery Mumbai. Two Man Show : 2005 : Vinayasa Art Gallery, Chennai. 2009 : Shrishti Art Gallery, Hyderabad. 2010 : Vinayasa Art Gallery, Chennai. 2015. :. Vinayasa Art Gallery Chennai.

Awards : 1999 : 1st Prize in Annual Art Exhibition ( Landscape). 2000 : 1st Prize in Annual Art Exhibition (Potrait).