Tom Vattakuzhy’s solo show ‘Song of the Dusk’ on at a gallery in New York captures the loneliness and uncertainty of the pandemic times
A gradual sense of disquiet begins to build as you gaze into artist Tom Vattakuzy’s stunning painting,‘Song of the Dusk’. A burial is underway — a mound of soil occupies the centre of the frame with a wreath laid beneath it. The church looms behind, its imposing white walls contrasting the tangerine tones of a setting sun. People, wearing masks pulled down to their chins, stand around in sepulchral silence.
The 2020 oil-on-canvas work pits the staggering beauty of life against the transience of it. It captures the fear, the uncertainty and the festering sadness of pandemic deaths. Though he does not usually paint a series on a preset theme, he is moved by situations and experiences that he encounters. Tom’s works often carry untold emotional resonances of such experiences. This particular work could have originated from a sense of personal loss, says Tom, who lost his father around the time, though not to COVID-19.
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