Nature Calling!

Self-taught artist Nayanaa Kanodia – who pioneered Naif L’Art in India – feels that ideas flow and senses come alive when man becomes one with nature. Embracing this concept in her latest show, The Great Outdoors, Kanodia exalts a union that helps humans regain their lost innocence, revelling in a solace that can be derived from nature.  And even in the works that are set indoors, an artistic interplay of trees, foliage and birds is cleverly integrated.  Kanodia states, “The conversation I hope to create in my work is a certain truth of life and on a deeper level, a well-thought philosophy. I construct fantastic versions of accessible scenes, both rural and urban utopias. Individuals may interpret my paintings in vastly disparate ways and each view will be equally logical and plausible, thought-provoking and intriguing.”

Over the years, Kanodia has been known to be a painter of women in interesting contexts. She is the first Indian of non-British origin whose works are in the collection of the ‘Paintings in Hospitals’, UK. Her paintings also feature in a recently published international book Women in Art by Reinhard Fuchs. Kanodia’s work is held in many collections in India and abroad including the Musée International d’Art Naïf, Paris.

The Great Outdoors is on show at Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi, from July 31 to August 20, 2014.