Sohan Qadri was an artist who invokes meditative tranquility through the vibrant motifs in his paintings. He is known for creating ink and dye on the papers to evoke the rich colors of his birthplace, India. He almost always ignores the conventional paint mediums. He was introduced to yogic practices at the age of seven. His early years in India lead him to meet two mystics who have a significant effect on his paintings.
When we look at his paintings, we get to know that they are the hybrid of tantric images and late modernist minimalism. He got the title of ‘tantric yogi artist’ from Francis Newton Souza.
He began his career in the 1950s working with oil on canvas but from the 1980s he worked extensively on paper. In the process, he covered the surface of the papers with the structural effects by soaking it in liquid with carving it in many stages while applying dye and ink. He does repeatedly incision the papers carefully as part of creating his artworks.
Most of his works focused on the colors and forms without distraction from figures. His works had been the topic of discussion for the triple elements of fire, energy, and earth. He used the colors according to the elements and put them in ascending or descending order.
Qadri was an avid traveler and researched many kinds of works as well as worked with many galleries and cultural workers.
Vikash Kalra is a self-taught artist and writer based in New Delhi whose work has been exhibited across India and is held in several private and corporate collections.