Arpana Caur: Time
An exploration of Arpana Caur's art, journeying through her most famous series, and her representation of time.
Day and Night (2016) by Arpana CaurAcademy of Fine Arts and Literature
"I had never seen anyone painting an everyday phenomenon like Day and Night, so I began this series 25 years ago, with a yellow embroider weaving the thread of life, and a black night cutting."
Arpana Caur
Day and Night (2011) by Arpana CaurAcademy of Fine Arts and Literature
From the series: Day and Night
Arpana Caur's "Day and Night" series captures life's inherent dualities: light and darkness, birth and death. The paintings explore time's passage, with day and night symbolizing continuous change and the ephemeral nature of existence.
Day and Night with worli (2011) by Arpana CaurAcademy of Fine Arts and Literature
From the series: Day and Night
Arpana Caur uses the imagery of day and night to represent the eternal rhythms of life. These female figures underscore the delicate, inseparable dance between existence and the ever-present shadow of mortality.
Threads of Destiny (2011) by Arpana CaurAcademy of Fine Arts and Literature
Endless Journeys
John H Bowles notes the significant influence of Warli tribal art on Arpana Caur's work, especially the 'Death and Harvest' motifs. Caur uses the Warli dancers, arranged in circular patterns, to convey the passage of time. She depicts Prakriti as two women: one creating life, the other ending it.
Day and Night (1993) by Arpana CaurAcademy of Fine Arts and Literature
Earth and sky: From the series 'Day and Night'
Usually Shiva is depicted with a crescent moon, but in this painting it is the Goddess of Night. With labourers and rickshaw pullers in the background, Caur highlights her enduring fascination with dualities.
Body is Just a Garment (1993) by Arpana CaurAcademy of Fine Arts and Literature
Body is Just a Garment
Arpana Caur adapts the Narikunchar (The multiple figures within one from Indian miniature tradition) motif into human form, suggesting the recurring cycle of life and death. The body is merely a garment we inhabit temporarily, implying that there is no true end.
Time Image by Arpana CaurAcademy of Fine Arts and Literature
Time image
Reflecting on time, Arpana Caur presents an upside-down mirror image, a reminder that youth precedes old age.
Bending Time by Arpana CaurAcademy of Fine Arts and Literature
From the series: Bending time
Arpana Caur suggests that artists and spiritual figures possess the unique ability to transcend time. This ability, symbolized by instruments like scales and compasses, allows them to overcome its constraints.
River of Time (2005) by Arpana CaurAcademy of Fine Arts and Literature
For Arpana Caur, the preoccupation with time and timelessness, and dualities of life and death continue to haunt the artist who wishes to outlive her temporary existence through her art.
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