Ritu Chopra




Contemporary Indian Artist


Who Am I ?

I am an artist, I paint. Feelings and sub-conscious thought processes in my mind drive my hands to paint. The only conscious effort on my part is to try and put form to these feelings and thoughts. As they come straight from my heart, all my paintings are special to me. I paint for myself, to pour on canvas what comes sub consciously from my mind and not for what an observer may perceive special in them.

Ritu Chopra

Artist

  • About - Ritu Chopra

    Growing up in the spiritually and culturally rich city of Ujjain always had an impact on her creative thought process. In 1986, she started her art journey with a group show at Kalidas Academy in Ujjain with paintings that depicted women doing their day to day household chores and working on the street as labourers. Since then female forms, as a subject, keep immerging in her paintings. She has done 8 Solo and 45 Group Exhibitions in India and abroad. She has worked on different subjects and medium. Her style of paintings in the past remained mostly figurative, but now she has started abstract paintings too.

    "WARP n WEFT"- India Habitat Center, New Delhi - 16 Mar to 20 Mar 2016 Ritu Chopra’s new series, ‘Warp ‘n Weft’, is her cherished initiative for synthesizing the traditional and the modern values; the sum total of the spiritual and secular influences that she gathered so far. By adding vibrant textures, created by fabric, she freely changes the orientation to express the gradation of color and illumination. Kabir, famous for his couplets and simple poetry is the inspirational force that motivates her new series, this once in abstract. As Kabir likens the woven fabric to life made of five essential elements, Ritu uses it in metaphorical and imagery, staying true to the balance and rhythm in composition and harmony in color. What Kabir achieved in poetry, Ritu tries to replicate on canvas, with as much dedication and verve. Her new oeuvre, WARP N WEFT consists of works that are expressive of the urge to satisfy her questing spirit. RENU RANA (Art critic)

    "YA DEVI"- Presented by ICCR, Azad Bhavan, New Delhi - 19 Dec to 24 Dec 2014 Back from a trip to Leh Ladhakh she got inspired by Mandala art and Tara Devi thus created series of paintings on Divine Goddesses. Creating any series of paintings is like a journey for her. She dedicated her inner expressions to the Divine Devi and Shakti attributes that are present in the women of the world.

    "ABODE OF THE GODS” - LALIT KALA ACADEMY, New Delhi - July 2012 Drawing from her experiences in trekking in the mountains, Ritu Chopra presented an miscellany of her recollections of the spirituality embedded within the Himalayas, titled "Abode of the Gods". The collection of her works was based upon her actual wanderings in the high passes and meadows and illustrates her perceptions and experiences during the period. Her works portray everlasting grandeur of the mountains and their connection with mysticism ingrained within the region, neither of which can be separated from the other.

    "The Flute" - All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi - April 2011 Inspired by her own ability to put to canvas a myriad of thoughts and feelings she ventured into experimenting with storytelling in the series on the duel for attention between the triad of Kanha, his flute and Radha. Using the unspoken overtures of their body language and purposefully restraining depiction of any facial expressions she made vibrant use of colors in displaying the chemistry between the two and added life to the paintings.

    "Kahe Kabir" - Arpana Caur Gallery, New Delhi -Oct 2010 Ritu Chopra made an humble attempt to depict the Mysticism of Sant Kabir’s simple yet meaningful Dohas and Poetries with Oil Colors on Canvas, Which are though tough to translate in any form. In the same way as Kabir's writings use common peoples' language, she used direct symbols and objects to generate imagery for his thoughts.

    My Work - Starting Point and Themes

    The starting point of my paintings is a lingering thought. A feeling of something intangible, something that I sense but cannot put my hand on. When the feeling gets substantially intense. I usually place a blank canvas in front of me and sit in front of it, staring at it for long periods of time. Shapes, colours, shadows and flash through my mind during the process as I attempt to put form to my thoughts and feelings and visualise them on the canvas. I am not always successful and this process may take a few days. However, as the thoughts take shape I start to paint without sketching or drawing for I fear I my lose flow of thought. The conclusive point is reached when I have been successful in depicting exactly what I feel inside me or when I feel that I have reached a point of diminishing returns and cannot add anything to the painting to make it true to my thoughts.

    I don’t select themes. They are born and evolve in my sub conscious mind till a point when I have to do something about them. Then I attempt to put them to canvas. Hopefully depicting them as true to my thoughts as possible. I may not always be successful in being able to do so, leaving some place for a creative mind to imagine the rest.


    Abstract Series

    One day on seeing a new born baby with a white “Jhili”(a newborns peeling skin) I recalled Kabir’s poetry – “Jhini Jhini Bini Chaderiya” and a new found realization gave vision to my inner creativity. As a consequence of this realization, based upon his poetry, I present my latest work, titled - “Warp n Weft”. The weave of the “Tapestry” that we drape upon our souls.

    In this work, I carefully and deliberately chose my subjects to be abstract. My paintings represent nadis, the vast network of energy channels, the nerves, the veins and the thread that has been spun from the essence of the soul as also the “Ingla”, “Pingla” and “Shushumana” that Kabir narrates in his poetry. These are depicted in three colors on each of the canvases by me.

    I would like you to view my paintings, with an eye that appreciates the efforts taken by the divine weaver to subtly create the beautiful tapestry that we all wear over our souls, taking all of nine months of incubation and using these three qualities and the five elements with which He created each one of us.




    Figurative Series-1

    From the time I first started painting, my work subtly shifted to depicting the human form. The shift was a consequence of my belief that whatever I had to create lay in the complexity of human spirituality and emotions.

    Inspired by my ability to put to canvas a myriad of thoughts and feelings I ventured into experimenting with storytelling in the series on the duel for attention between the triad of Kanha, his flute and Radha. Using the unspoken overtures of their body language and purposefully restraining depiction of any facial expressions I made vibrant use of colors in displaying the chemistry between the two and added life to the paintings.

    Continuing with the female form, as a subject, I decided to depict her in her greatest manifestation as “Devi” and “Shakti”. This series of figurative work is inspired by Mandala art.








    Figurative Series-2

    This collection is a set of some of my older figurative work spanning a large period of time from 1986 to 2010. The evolution of my work is evident through the set.


















    Spiral Series

    Spirals have always appealed to me. For me, spirals symbolize evolution & expansion; they represent the Goddesses, the womb and the life force energy. It helps me balance my energies when I imagine them with certain hues and arrangements. We humans have the capability to first go inwards by meditation and then seek outwards. I believe spirals also depict this inward to outward search. This set is based upon this inward search.






    Meditation Series

    This series mostly depict the inner calm of peaceful souls. The paintings are broadly in two separate parts. The first one is figurative (faces) and the second set based upon Mudras for meditation.













    Press Coverage

    Please feel free to browse through some press coverage. Some of which goes back over a period of nearly 30 years.

    (This Section is being Updated and shall be put up soon)









    My Education

    - B.A in Drawing and Painting (1987) Vikram University, Ujjain (MP).
    - Certificate in Art Appreciation: Art and Culture from National Museum Institute (2011-12), New Delhi.
    - Elementary (1979) & Intermediate Grade Exams (1980) in Drawing, by Maharashtra Govt.

    My Art Exhibitions

    Solo Shows:

    2016 Mar - N Delhi, Open Palm Court, IHC, “Warp n Weft”
    2014 Dec - N Delhi, Azad Bhavan Art Gallery, by ICCR, "Ya Devi"
    2012 Oct - N Delhi, Taj Palace Tea Lounge.
    2012 Jul - N. Delhi, Rabindra Bhavan, Lalit Kala Academy. "Abode of the Gods"
    2010 Dec - N. Delhi, Taj Palace Tea Lounge
    2010 Oct - N. Delhi, Arpana Caur Academy of Fine Arts and Literature, “Kahe Kabir”
    2007 Dec - N. Delhi , Press Club Gallery “The Peace within”
    2003 Nov - Shrivenham, United Kingdom, JSCS College, " Christmas Bazaar"
    1995 Mar - Bhopal, Kala Parishad, “Vividha”.

    Group Shows:

    2016
    Jun - N Delhi, Alliance Francaise, Curated by Ms Renu Rana
    Mar - Pune, Let Art Work art gallery, Five Elements -2 Viva Art
    Mar - Pune, 1 Lounge, Five Elements, by Vivart
    2015
    Mar - Gurgaon, The Art Place, Srijnaa, Self Curated .
    Mar - Indore, Devlalikar art gallery "Celbrations of womenhood" Indore Art Mate
    2014
    Oct - Indore, Devlalikar art gallery " Symphony" by Indore Art Mate
    Sep - N Delhi, Tal Katora Stadium, "All India Exhibition" by NDMC
    May - N Delhi, Gallery Impart, " Beyond Measure"
    Apr - N Delhi, AIFACS, "Centenary Celebrations"
    Apr - N Delhi, Pearl Art Gallery, "Spring 2014"
    Apr - N Delhi, AIFACS, "Feminal Cosmology 2014"
    Feb - N Delhi, Artz Fine Art Gallery, "There is Only Time" by Art & Life.
    2013
    Jun - N Delhi, IIC Annexe "Arte Kettle Garden" by KalaCare.
    Mar - Ghazibad, Lalitkala Academy UP State Exhibition.
    Mar - Mumbai, PL Deshpande Gallery " International Art Fair"
    Mar - Delhi, Lalit kala Academy,Rabindra Bhavan, "Ingenious Eclecticism"
    Mar - Mumbai, AKS art Gallery " International Art Fair"
    Mar - Mumbai, Coomaraswamy Hall, CS Museum "International Art Fair"
    Feb - Bangluru, Chitrakala Parishad " Range of vision"
    2012
    Oct - Mumbai, Cymroza Art Gallery, " Art 2012" by Arion Arts
    Sep - Noida, Stupa 18 Gallery, "Contemporary Passions"
    Jun - Nashik, Sadhna Art Gallery by Women Art Foudation
    Apr - Mumbai, AKS art Gallery, "Rejoicing in Artistic Extensions"
    Mar - N Delhi, AIFACS, "Music of Moods"
    Mar - Mumbai, Coomaraswamy Hall, CS Museum, "Rejoicing in Artistic Extensions"
    2011
    Nov - Noida, Kalamitra gallery "30 NOIDA ARTISTS SHOW-2011"
    Nov - Mumbai, INDIA ART FESTIVAL, Nehru centre, by Lavanya Art
    Nov - N Delhi, AIFACS, India, by Face India
    Oct - N Delhi, AIFACS, "Feminal Cosmology"
    Sep - N Delhi, Arpana Caur Academy of Fine Arts & Literature , "Artistic Expressions"
    Jun - Dehradun, Madhuban Hotel, "Sambodhan 2"
    May - Delhi, Shridharani , Triveni Kala Sangam "Artistic Expressions "
    Apr - Delhi, Habitat Centre, Open Palm Court -two women Show "Samarpan"
    2010
    Dec - Delhi, Studio Vasant Gallery by Lavanya Art
    Nov - Pune, Darshan Art Gallery
    Jul - Noida, Stupa18 Gallery,"People, Cities and all that"
    May - San Francisco (USA), The Artist Alley. "Indian Hues"
    Feb - Noida, Stupa18 Gallery,” Threshold”
    2009
    Dec - Mumbai, DD Neroy Gallery, "Salutation 26/11"
    Jun - Mumbai, DD Neroy Gallery, -three women Show "Dhyaanam"
    2008
    Dec - Mumbai, DD Neroy Gallery
    Sep - Mumbai, DD Neroy Gallery -two Person Show
    1987
    Ujjain, Kalidas Art Gallery (By Kalavarat).
    Pune, Bal Gandharv art gallery (By Kalavarat).
    1986
    Ujjain, Indore, Dewas, Ratlam (By Kalavarat )
    1978
    Jabalpur, Junior Artist Exhibition

    Art Camps and Talks:

    2015 - Delhi, by Impart Art.
    2011 - Ujjain, by Kalavart Nyas.
    2011 - Talk/presentation given by me, on my paintings at Vasant Valley School, N Delhi.
    2010 - Pune, By Studio Akshay and Mystic Village Art Club.

    Other Art Work:

    2004 - Was commissioned to paint the Walls of the Kindergarten School with Indian Art at Watchfield, UK.
    1990 & 2002 - Was commissioned to make paintings for the Air Force Officer’s Mess, Ambala Cantt.

    Paintings in collection with, The Taj Palace Hotel, N Delhi, The Lexicon Art and with private collectors in India, London, USA, Canada & Hong Kong.

    See 'The Flute Series' Video:

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    G-34 Sector-25,
    Noida,
    Uttar Pradesh, INDIA
    Call: +91-9313583358 / 9599700425
    Email: rituchopra@yahoo.com
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