inam S E 4 S O N S of COLOUR
HIGH-IMPACT VISIONS OF THE CHANGING COLOURS OF THE SEASON Inam s first UK collection marked him out as a rising star of the contemporary art scene, and this vibrant and atmospheric quartet of images has cemented his status as one of our most exciting artistic talents. Taking the four seasons as his starting point he has chosen a signature colour for each exquisite forest scene and used it to capture the prevailing mood from the time of year. The lush green of spring conveys an optimistic sense of new beginnings, while the blazing summer sun creates a golden vision of heat and light. The glowing scarlet of autumn is redolent of the changing mood with the passing of the year, and the winter hues of charcoal and white introduce a more picturesque aspect to the scene. Our Art Consultants tell us that the word they hear most often when people see Inam s work for the first time is beautiful. What makes art beautiful is a complicated concept, since beauty is subjective and can change based on context. However, there is a basic human instinct, or internal appreciation, for harmony, balance, and rhythm which can be defined as beauty. Beauty in terms of art usually refers to an interaction between colour, texture and form that is pleasing to the senses. Work like this is often described as aesthetic art. Over the years many of the greatest philosophical minds have attempted to tackle the concept of beauty and art. For Immanuel Kant, the aesthetic experience of beauty is a judgment of a subjective, but common, human truth. He argued that all people should agree that a rose is beautiful if it indeed is. However, Kant believed that beauty could not be reduced to any basic set of characteristics or features. Meanwhile, Arthur Schopenhauer believed that the contemplation of beauty is the freest and purest thing that we can do with our intellect the only way we can encounter perfection without an agenda. For those of us whose intellects are a little more dayto-day than these high minded academics, the whole experience of beauty in art is personal and intuitive an emotional response to something that gives us great pleasure and, in the case of Inam s paintings, a sense of calm and inner peace.
SEASON OF GOLD Limited Edition Size 195 12 x 12 325 THE SUNSHINE WAS LIKE POWDERED GOLD OVER THE GRASSY HILLSIDE. Maud Hart Lovelace, author, 1892-1980
SE4SONS...the whole experience of beauty in art is personal and intuitive an emotional response to something that gives us great pleasure and, in the case of Inam s paintings, a sense of calm and inner peace. Born in India, Inam now lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and three sons. His day-to-day life is quite regimented during the week and in some rather surprising ways. For example, his working hours run through the night and he paints in an artificially lit studio rather than in daylight. Although this may seem like a strange choice for an artist whose work is so suffused with natural light, he explains: When I paint the most important thing I need is silence and the total absence of any distraction. Picasso said the purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life from our souls and that s what I try to do every day. I start working at midnight and paint until the first sign of sunlight. Then I sleep from then until mid-morning when I spend some time with my family. After lunch, I read; poetry, history, whatever subject is interesting me at the time. Poetry is particularly important to me I often find inspiration in the words on the page. I remember as a schoolboy hearing Keats s ode To Autumn for the first time. The language was just so lush and I wanted to capture that sense of warmth, light and colour spilling over and put it straight on to canvas. After some studio admin, sorting out materials, speaking to photographers who I work with and so on, I always try to get out for a walk whatever the weather. My paintings are wholly inspired by nature so this is a hugely important part of my day. I also enjoy cooking and creating my own recipes so I tend to cook dinner for my family. I paint after dinner for an hour or two, then spend the evening with friends and family. While each individual composition has an enticing depth that compels us to look, the collection comes into its own when viewed as a whole; drop by the gallery to experience this extraordinary kaleidoscope of colour.
SEASON OF LIGHT Limited Edition Size 195 12 x 12 325 NOW AUTUMN S FIRE BURNS SLOWLY ALONG THE WOODS William Allingham, poet, 1824-1889
WHEN THE ENTIRE WORLD APPEARS TO BE IN A TUMULT, THE SEASONS RETAIN THEIR ESSENTIAL RHYTHM. FALL, WINTER, THEN ONCE AGAIN, THE NEW BEGINNINGS OF SOFT GREENS, LONGER LIGHT, AND THE SWEET AIR OF SPRING. Madeleine Kunin, Former Governor of Vermont SEASON OF SHADOW Limited Edition Size 195 12 x 12 325
SEASON OF MIST Limited Edition Size 195 12 x 12 325 THE COUNTRY IS MORE OF A WILDERNESS, MORE OF A WILD SOLITUDE, IN THE WINTER THAN IN THE SUMMER. Maud Hart Lovelace, author, 1892-1980
inam S E 4 S O N S of COLOUR