By Meenakshi Mohan
“Look beyond the surface to connect with a fragment that resonates on an emotional level . . . “
- Nimi Trehan
What is art? Different people have interpreted art in many different ways, however, for Nimi Trehan, art is that which invokes an emotion, a feeling, and a thought in the viewer’s mind – something that initiates a dialogue and demands a response. Her art — exuberant details of mystical, sometimes tumultuous figures; a free splurge of luscious colors; bold dynamic lines that weave intricate patterns –is surrealistic or somewhat trompe l’ oeil — something beyond that what eyes could see. When I first saw her painting the, Silence Between Us, I was perturbed. The desolate figure of a woman, looking at a distance, the intricate branches of huge trees entwined with each other, and the dark brown, black colors that dominated the painting. What was the woman trying to tell? What were those dark mysterious branches symbolizing? Why were there only dark colors? The silent canvas was provoking me to look beyond the visible. Annie Wood Besant’s statement about Indian art that “it is full of suggestions from worlds invisible, striving to express the ineffable,” seems true of Nimi’s art.
I met Nimi through a common friend who is an art connoisseur herself. I have since then had an opportunity to spend a lot of time with Nimi, and see a lot of her pieces. She is a calm, serene person with a penetrating intellect to learn more about the world around her, and her personality reflects in her work.
In December, the Upakar Foundation organized its annual art exhibit at Nimi Trehan’s house. Upakar is a non profit organization that organizes various events to raise money for high achieving, low income Asian Americans to enable them to fulfill their academic and professional dreams. It was a cool crisp morning when I went to Nimi’s place – it was buzzing with people – some art lovers, and some who just came for social reasons. The first thing anyone notices as upon entering her foyer through the double doors is an enormous painting, mounted on top of the fire place in her double-storied family room, of three women looking up at the sun emitting bright rays, their bodies bathing in its hazy hues. Varied art works occupied every corner of the house. The artists were busy showing and explaining their art. Many people also surrounded Nimi. She was explaining in her placid voice to someone, “I am often intrigued by the colors, patterns and textures found in nature . . ..” In order to understand her art — suffusion of rich colors, bewildering maze of nature, and predilection for symbolism, we have to understand Nimi Trehan, the artist. Her art takes a much wider, a more profound, and a comprehensive view-map of her life. Her paintings are subjective, and can be understood more through her own perceptive vision. Oscar Wilde said, “A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament.”
So, here are a few of Nimi’s works explained in her own words:
Light: (48”x97” acrylic on canvas, inspired by a poem in Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore. Three women looking upward towards the sun, while their bodies bathe in its hues. Sun is celestial, and brings everlasting glory. The sunrays burn all impure objects.)
The light is shattered into gold on every cloud, my darling, and it scatters gems in profusion. . . .The heaven’s river has drowned its bank and the flood of joy is abroad
Tagore
This painting is the focus of my home. I wanted to set a mood, create an ambiance of positive energy, and capture the spirit of the poem.
Ancient Rhythm: (30”x48”, acrylic on canvas. Two women in neutral colors, one is a shadow of other, looking into the distance. Ancient scripts on the slabs of stones.)
Mohenjedaro, now in Pakistan, inspired this painting, the oldest civilization discovered in the early 20th century. The figures, one a shadow of the other, represent the statue of a dancing girl. It is one of the oldest sculptures found in India. In this painting, I imagined the dancing girl has come to life, and she looks back into history at the ruins. She is surrounded by the ancient writings found on the seals.
Mother Theresa (36”x48”, acrylic on canvas, predominant colors are green, blue with some orange and white. Mother Theresa clad in her usual white sari with blue border surrounded by children and women of poverty. High society women chatting and drinking above)
. . .you sympathize with oppressed. . .you are not abashed by their oppressor. . .how dare I ask you such things? If I ask, then I shall have the responsibility from which so far I have escaped . . .Mother I cannot deny your greatness!
Javed Akhtar
This is a narrative painting based on a poem by Javed Akhtar’s, “Mother Theresa,” in which he is honoring her for her magnanimity, but is also saying that her job is incomplete because she did not question the higher society who are so far removed from the realities of people from lower strata. He admits that he is afraid to bring up this question with her since he himself is one of them.
Sands of Time: (36”x36”, acrylic on canvas with some mixed media to bring the effects of Sand Dunes of Rajasthan. The waves of sand carry the words of Longfellow’s poem, The Psalm of Life. Two human faces barely reach above the sands.)
And departing, leave behind us . . .. Footprints on the sand of time
Longfellow
The inspiration for this painting came from Rajasthan, a desert state in India that I traveled to last December. The landscape of the state consists mostly of desert with some areas having superb sand dunes. As I observed the rugged contours of the golden sands, I thought about Longfellow’s poem. I reflected on our lives, the present, past and the future, and I wove the text of the poem into the contours of the sand dunes and right into the landscape of the faces.
Free But Lonely (36”x36”, acrylic on canvas. A woman figure with her arms spread as if ready to depart, yet bound by earthly tying. Brown and green are dominant colors. The Chinese script on the painting reads, “freedom” and “loneliness”)
I painted this after my husband’s passing away. I wanted to capture my feelings of suddenly being free from so many responsibilities, yet being surrounded by acute loneliness.
Silence Between Us: (36”x48”, acrylic on canvas. Cold wintry gloom, branches of trees entwined with each other, a desolate figure of a woman, looking forlorn, lonely and looking at a distance.)
A silence feel between them, which could not be broken
As though all speech between them had long ago been spoken.
Tennessee Williams
The inspiration for this painting came from Tennessee William’s poem quoted above. The background of a cold wintry day, and the composition of dark brown colors create a mysterious mood. Gestures express the distance that has grown between the two individuals over time.
Strategy (36”x36”, mixed media on canvas. Two players playing a chess game. A chessboard spread before them. Red and orange colors dominate the painting.)
I have often observed the intensity of expressions and the concentrations of minds as people play chess. The lines on the forehead, the intensity of eyes, hand gestures, all show how intently they are focused in forming strategies. I have tried to capture the contemplative quality of the player’s expressions while using colors to catch the contemplative moods.
Refugees (36”x36”, acrylic on canvas with mixed media. Background colors – red, brown and black. People en masse, young and old, hold on to each other while walking down the street. Some soldiers cluster around in a corner.)
In this painting, I tried to empathize with refugees who have to move away from their homeland in large droves, leaving their possessions behind and moving on to unknown terrain. In 1947, my parents were uprooted from Pakistan, where they and their forefathers had spent a lifetime. As they moved on, they clung to their families, friends and old associates.
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Nimi grew up in India. She graduated in Interior Design from Women’s Polytechnic Institution in Delhi. In India, she primarily worked in residential interiors and product designs. She participated in several exhibits featuring furniture, carpet and wall hangings. After moving to the United States, she worked in commercial and healthcare interior design. At present, her focus is totally on art. She is inspired by the abstractism of Picasso, the expressive symbolism in Satish Gujral and Hessam Abrishami’s works. She likes to use colors like Mark Rothko’s paintings to express emotions. Nimi says, “My paintings carry a hidden meaning, an added level of information, and a mystical symbolism . . . .I am always looking for an inspiration, it could be as simple as lines of a text or a poem.” Recently, she has been working on her series – Aurora, Changing Course, Evolution and Divergence. These series reflect the changing course of life, growth and evolution. She says, “The vibrant colors of my native India are central to my self expression . . . I use them for expressive purposes.”
Nimi has done several solos and group exhibits of her work. One of her paintings was selected for a juried exhibit at the Art League, Alexandria, Virginia. Her digital photograph titled Cadence was selected for Intersections / Art and Science Exhibit at Montgomery College, Maryland. She is members of the Art League in Alexandria, Virginia, and Society of Layerists in Multi Media (SLMM). She maintains her gallery and studio in Potomac, Maryland. Nimi has marked her place among the upcoming South Asian artists in the Washington D.C. area. Her art has often inspired philosophy and poetry. As Horace said, “A picture is a poem without words.” Nimi’s art is poetry through her tools.
Nimi Trehan’s Web Site is: www.nimitrehan.com
Meenakshi Mohan, Ed.D. specializes in Early Childhood and Early Childhood Leadership and Advocacy. She teaches for Towson University in Maryland, USA.