Joyful Musings

Born in India, Chitra Ramanathan is an established contemporary Indian American visual artist who lives, exhibits and teaches painting in the United States. She is best known for her series of colourful abstract paintings with acrylic as prime medium, often combined with intricately layered carefully chosen permanent materials, described as “happy art”. Her career emerged through solo and exhibitions in different art galleries on Broadway, New York City during the mid 1990s, with reviews in publications including Manhattan Arts Magazine.

During a study abroad visit to Paris, France in Summer 1992, Chitra was influenced by the Abstract Expressionist’s works portraying mental emotions, initially inspired by Wassily Kandinsky’s colourful works and frequenting Claude Monet’s Garden in Giverny. The theme of current and ongoing series of paintings that followed exude a fresh, glossy quality, the luminous paint surfaces frequently created in large dimensions to convey an expanse of happy, joyful and noticed therapeutic feelings. Some eclectic examples are “Joyful Musings”, “A Rapturous Acclamation” “Symphony” and the “Melody of Seasons” included in the portfolio. In general, the recurring theme in her works is inspired by her varied life experiences of living in different cultures and surroundings. Chitra explains. “My art is influenced conceptually by colourful flora in changing seasons where I live in the Unites States and my passion for gardening, besides borrowing from fantasy, dreams, and the melody of music. I also borrow from recollections of colourful festivals, costumes, reminiscent of my native India and the memory of creating floor pattern drawings called “Rangoli” during growing years.

However, each work is individually distinct with a record of acquisitions as stand- alone pieces.

The image depicts an abstract painting featuring a vibrant color scheme dominated by bright cerulean blue, with elements of gold semi-circular forms of varying sizes that create a sense of motion. At least two of these forms include patterns resembling starfish in red, yellow, green, and orange. The painting conveys dynamism and energy, with yellow and orange paint drips and splatters adding to the sense of vitality. The strokes suggest power and change, particularly in the transition from the mainly blue bottom to the primarily yellow top. The middle area of the painting displays a mixture of these colors. Additionally, there is text in the painting that reads "Chitra."