The New Nation - Internet Edition

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

“Saleem's abstract compositions have a striking impact with their bold, roughly geometric colour areas and unique contrasts between rugged texture and vibrant colour saturation. Thus one is initially struck by the sheer physical presence of his paintings, and only later further seduced by the more intimate consummate colourist. Above all, Saleem is a luminous yet subdued range of sunny yellows, transcendent blue, earthy reds and other skilfully which he achieves exquisite harmonies unlike anything else in contemporary painting," said Ed McCormack, one of the original contributing editors of Andy Warhol's interview, has written extensively on art and popular culture about Saleem at the solo art exhibition of Khurshid Alam Saleem titled 'Image of Nature' at the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts in the capital. The exhibition was concluded recently.

Saleem said, "Nature is his constant inspiration, although my paintings are a far cry from the conventional landscapes. I try to capture the essence of the atmosphere around myself, which can be subtle. Through the language of painting, I suggest both the elements of calm and restlessness. Some of my works appear to be mystically suspended, while the bold rectangle is a recurrent form."

Saleem, settled in New York for the past 22 years, His works throb with chromatic and tactile tones.

"People are sometimes confused when they first see my art works. But longer inspection elicits a completely different reaction. Once a connection is established between the image and the reality, between experience and imagination, the last blurry lines of hesitation disappear. Real and unreal become one, the past and future merge," said Saleem.

The bold geometrical forms attract one, and later, on closer inspection, one is fascinated by the forms and colours. His rusty reds and overwhelming blues along with the warm yellows blend with one another as contemporary paintings seldom do. The colours merge with one another and are muted, leaving a mosaic like effect. Rectangular shapes derive from his broad strokes. Rocks appear to be shining under layers of water.

The lines, dots and texture that Saleem used were meant to evoke feelings and emotions so that viewers could discover art in nature. The attempt was not a photographic one.

Saleem said, "I find inspiration in the tiniest detail of nature - a drop of rain water, a falling autumn leaf, a speck of white in the blue sky, a crack on earth after a long-lasting drought, bark of a tree that bears witness to many visitors resting underneath. Each of these elements contains a new story for me and a fresh invitation to go aboard on a new journey. A viewer can take the same moments depicted on the canvas, process them in his or her mind and experience a completely unexpected discovery," he said.

Saleem has worked under the print-maker Krishna Reddy in the US and is influenced by Mark Rothko.

He has taken part in 70 international group exhibitions. His paintings hang in the galleries in different parts of the world such as China and Japan. He does his most works in his studio, as his mood takes him.