Indulging in portraiture

Portraiture as an art form has played a crucial role in the history of art, yet as a medium of artistic expression it has been largely forgotten in the era of selfies. Portrait artist Rishabh Sud is attempting to bring back the lost glory back to portraiture through his solo show Moments 2007-2015 which will be showcased in the national Capital.

Dedicating his show to his father Satish Sud, a well-known graphic designer and artist, Rishabh Sud says his father always wanted to hold an exhibition of his own as an artist before his death in 1998. The exhibition will feature 50 portraits, of which 20 are charcoals and the rest oil. This one-of-a-kind exhibition showcases the journey in portraiture he has made over the years. With old masters such as Rembrandt, Sargent, Zorn, Annigonni, Bonnat and Raja Ravi Verma, to name a few, as his inspiration, Rishabh Sud has borrowed techniques from both impressionism and academic art to create a style all his own.

Sud has stilled in oil Maharaja Hira Singh of Nabha, Ace Fashion photographer Hemant Khandelwal, actors Virat and Aamir Raza Husain, director Muzaffar Ali and his wife Meera, among others, for posterity. Commissioned by his great great grandson, Maharaja Hanuwant Singh of Nabha, the original of Maharaja Hira Singh of Nabha was very different. “They wanted to portray him in a more classical old master style, keeping most of the elements close to original,” says Sud. Having been trained in classical realism from the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Sud’s portraits show a keen eye for detail and meticulous draughtsmanship. Even his charcoal drawings are incredibly fluid and pulsate with jouissance, tactility and energy.    

 “As an artist, I work hard to develop paintings that speak both to me and to the viewer about the inner beauty that exists inside the subject. Part of my process before I begin painting is to research, sit and communicate with my subject and know as much as I can about my subject so I can bring that on the canvas. I do not merely want to capture an image with my brushes, rather with careful, colourful strokes I want to recreate that moment in time,” says Sud.

“In India we don’t have an art movement associated with portraiture. In the earlier days, it was a sign of wealth, where the patron would call upon the artist to showcase them at their best and it would take months and probably years to get that perfect portrait. Today’s world is digital and instant; many don’t understand the charm behind a work painstakingly created by hand. There is much more than what meets the eye. It brings out the sitter’s unique sense of individuality, which allows the viewer an insight into their characters. After all, the person will grow old, but the portrait doesn’t,” adds Sud.