When little details capture reality

There is a quiet gravitas to the works on display across the two floors of Art Alive Gallery in Delhi. Each watercolour, be it landscape, portrait or self-study, features an interplay of light, shadow and colour. Artist Shibu Natesan, 59, deftly works with these elements to imbue every painting with a unique atmosphere. The painter's gaze seems to be akin to that of a photographer's. The paintings are nearly photorealistic, conveying the feel of the environment, the personality of the subject and the essence of the landscape to the viewer.

- Avantika Bhuyan

Yet, the watercolours are not mere faithful reproductions of the people or scenes that Natesan might have come across during his travels. They are not just about freezing time. He creates a humanitarian narrative by invoking small details and minute observations that might have been ignored otherwise—the fall of tendrils in Ophelia (After Millais), the cage-like feel of wooden bars and grills in A Day in the Life of Construction Work, the way the tarpaulin hangs precariously in a storm-ravaged urban landscape in After the Storm.

These works created over the past decade are part of the show Mirror Man, Mirror Me (2014-2025), the artist's largest watercolour exhibition till date. This is the first phase of the show, with the second part to be showcased at the gallery in January 2026. “The title underscores the artist’s belief in painting as both personal archive and societal reflection. Through delicate studies of self and surroundings, Natesan positions art as a mirror to everyday life—intimate, contemplative, and resonant with the quiet intricacies of existence,” states the curatorial note.