Landscape 5

Born in 1973, the Sanjay Davsale grew up in a small village in the Latur District of Maharashtra. Like many other artists who grew in an environment close to nature, Devsale, who now lives and works in the city of Pune, tries to reimagine and re-establish that primal bond. The impressionist mode is evident in the way Devsale uses light and colour in his landscapes, yet his unique voice also shines through in his signature spacing and background. It’s clear through Sanjay Devsale’s beautiful work that the cliché about mistaking the forest for the trees is itself myopic: sometimes the forest is its trees.

Trees have been a favoured muse of painters worldwide since the 18th century, but Devsale’s depiction still brings in a new, striking perspective. His pointillist landscapes in pop-up colours are detailed, striking and tactile. Devsale’s play of texture forges an immediate connection, evoking that universal desire to run your fingers across a tree’s warty, gnarled bark. You want to become a part of the forest world of his landscapes, gently treading the banks of snow in some and in others a silent carpet of grass.

This uniqueness has led him to have a long career in art, with solo exhibitions across India, including at the Jahangir Art Gallery in Mumbai in 2015.