Revista DIÁLOGOS com a arte
Notícias / News - Arquivo / Arquive - 2019
Beauty of our Cosmos and our stunning Earth, byinternational artist, Mr Sudha Daniel
My Artist Talk, “Beauty of our Cosmos and our stunning Earth” on 23rd October 2019, was to communicate and share with the undergraduate/Masters Art & Technology, Arts, Basic Education students and academic staff at the School of Education, Polytechnic of Viana do Castelo, Portugal, my approach to Art and Creativity. It was based on my profound observations, feelings, reflections, philosophy, beliefs and values; and also from an accumulation of my personal knowledge and lifelong experiences gained through my extensive travels in many countries and diverse cultures. In many ways, direct first-hand experience has been my best teacher.
I enjoy the beauty of colour from all kinds of sources, but above all I revel in the spectacular beauty of light and colour in nature in all its glorious manifestations everywhere -- from the tiniest elements on our Earth to the most infinite in our Cosmos, which is my ultimate source of inspiration that enhances my aesthetic consciousness and sensitivity.
At the same time, I am conscious that all the trillions and trillions of life forms, galaxies, stars, planets and amazing phenomena of our infinite Cosmos is a huge mystery, mostly well beyond human understanding.
My fascination with our Cosmos stems from my childhood days in the tropics when I used to be enchanted and mystified by the sparkling and twinkling stars of the night sky, thanks to my beloved mother. She used to make me lie down on the flat roof of our house at night and tell me to count the stars. At that stage when my vision was very sharp, I was mesmerised by the myriad of stunning colours emanating from the twinkling stars !
I owe it to my mother, who was exceptionally spiritual and creative, especially in art and music, in me becoming a creative artist. Indeed she played a vital, encouraging and supportive role in my evolution and development as a creative human being.
My Cosmos paintings are a personal interpretation with scientific understanding of the subject, inspired mainly by the fantastic imagery produced by the Hubble Space Telescope.
Our Earth and all therein, is very much an integral part of the vast infinite Cosmos. The brilliant sun and the visible stars at night are an obvious and pleasant daily reminder.
Some direct sources of inspiration for my Beauty of Nature paintings were from the following countries: United Kingdom; Sweden, Ireland; Portugal, Spain, Greece, India; Singapore, Malaysia; and USA.
I have also had a keen research interest in philosophy of science, art, & religion; astronomy; beauty and neuro-aesthetics; and the intuitive mind, which is elusive, mysterious and quite unfathomable – all of which have all influenced my art.
I consider myself a down-to-earth, international, practising, universal artist/oil painter who takes a holistic and philosophical view of life and celebrates the sheer creative ability of the human mind. Breakthrough in creativity in Art is holistic, which has involved my mind, body, heart and soul held in harmony and balance.
My recent Cosmos paintings are considered an amazing breakthrough in the manifestation of light and colour in their own right. Indeed they are out-of-this-world and highly futuristic ! – a fascinating fusion of beauty of Art, Science and Spirituality coming together in a universal way.
And now, with the recent discovery and revelation of the “Black Hole” which I have interpreted in my recent painting, it has made the Cosmos a very exciting and popular contemporary topic for people of all cultures and ages across the world. I feel that the highest tribute paid to my paintings is, "I look into my soul when I look at your paintings" as a viewer has commented.
In conclusion, it is fulfilling and hugely rewarding that my Artist Talk was an enormous success as evidenced by the thoughts, feelings and tremendous impact it has had on some of the students. The following sample quotes are from a fascinating written feedback given by 3 students who attended my Talk:
1. (student, Mariana Santiago, Professional Art and Technology Degree in Light, Sound and Image)
"Sudha Daniel told us a little about his experience and his history, discussing issues such as the concept of beauty in contemporary art and how it shapes and affects society, as well as astronomy, painting, music, science, nature, ecology, philosophy, spirituality, while he spoke to us in detail about the design of some of his works through a beautiful presentation...
the detail of light is a very present element in most of his paintings, some of which reminded me of paintings by the Dutch artist Van Gogh, due to the way the brushstrokes curl and elude sensations of movement. Subjects, still always connected to spirituality, emotion, beauty, the cosmos.
I believe that the artist's visit was a privilege, not only for my education, but also for my personal growth. It made me rethink the point where concepts like Art and Beauty are found today.
What is making contemporary art? Do art and beauty languish? What should or should not be transmitted to others through art? And will this matter be considered or should it be a spontaneous act?”
2. (student Tiago Carvalho, Professional Art and Technology Degree in Light, Sound and Image)
"Another conference that I would like to address, was the ‘Beauty of the Cosmos and our stunning Earth’ by artist Sudha Daniel. The conference was divided on several themes, but all of them interconnected: Life, Universe, Beauty, Nature, Love, Balance, Color. Sudha exposed not only his work, but also his vision of human relations, and his experience and perspective of the world. His art touches us with his cosmic and spiritual sensibility, the conference opened me up to a wider range of artistic possibilities, filled me psychologically and spiritually. Being in direct contact with artists is an experience that we must never stop doing. "
3. (João Constantino, Fine Art Degree)
"In this conference, the painter Sudha Daniel presented and spoke about his paintings and the whole creative process involved in his work. The relationship between art, light, nature, religion and the cosmos and how these themes are present in his work. Contemporary art and the differences between it and Sudha's paintings were also discussed. I want to participate / attend all the events I can, and painting. It was an enriching experience because I was able to see paintings where elements such as color and light used in a creative way are present. It was also interesting to see Sudha's perspective on religion and the cosmos and the mysteries surrounding these two themes.
(Sudha Daniel, formerly Senior Fine Art Lecturer & Postgraduate Programme Leader, University of Derby, UK; and former Artist in Residence at Escola Superior de Educação of Viana do Castelo Polytechnic, between 2007 and 2009])
RURAL 3.0 Newsletter, jun.2019, Issue 1
Welcome to the electronic newsletter of Rural 3.0 project where both public and stakeholders will be able to find information about the project’s progress on a regular basis. We invite you to join our wide group of service-learning promotors and to send us collected feedback.
Rural 3.0 is a knowledge alliance between different European higher education institutions (HEI) and rural partners that aims at setting up and implementing a framework for an integrated transnational approach of academic teaching and learning and thus contribute to the development of rural areas. This is achieved through an innovative methodology that not only meets the needs of these communities and increases innovation in these areas, but also leads to closer community-HEI partnerships.
The logo of the project represents the partnership between higher education institutions (HEI) and rural communities. The inspiration for creating the logo was the "Coroça", "Caroça" or "Croça", a straw robe that was used by Portuguese and Spanish shepherds to protect them against the cold and the rain.
Rural 3.0 project started in January 2019 and will finish at the end of December 2021. During these three years, Rural 3.0 wants to develop the core skills and entrepreneurial potentialities of the rural community (for which such development is not easily accessible), as well as improve the quality of education leading to sustainable development and promote HEI-community partnerships in rural areas through an innovative SL methodology. Rural 3.0 is directed at enhancing the relevance of HEI as their students aim to fulfil a service that is in line with the demands of businesses and social needs in rural areas; setting up a virtual Hub with a broad network of academic and rural stakeholders that will offer teaching and learning content (dedicated transnational academic modules with courses on SL and SE, community training materials and digital collaborative & learning tools) as well as promoting interactions between HEI and rural community stakeholders.
RURAL 3.0 Leaflet
