FI’RANA:ISM

Kamal Rana is the only artist in India who paints with flames. He has created his own style and that leads us to acknowledge him. This invention leads me to dedicate the word FIRANAISM speaking as FI-RANAISM or FI-RANA-ISM to Rana’s guts, novelty, steadiness and passion. He will always be credited for his research and confidence to work on this medium and would be the first reference for any budding artist.

Rana represents something that is of great human value. FIRE. Fire provides sustenance all throughout our life; right from cooking food and supplying heat to finally lighting up the funeral pyre. And now Rana has unearthed a technique to use the same flickering FIRE in ART too. Fire can connote to both, the celestial life as well as the apocalyptic death. Rana chooses the raging Fire to conjure Life.

According to the Rigvedic hymns, Fire was brought from tapas – here we can analogize it with the Tapasya of Rana. His research and application has brought FIRE to ART.

Another interesting thing to note in Rana’s figurative works is the efforts he puts in writing down the subject of work in detail and that too in such a way that it becomes an integral part of the line and work. His composition of human figure is so natural and does not seem forced. These paintings seem surreal, and at the same time very real in the artist’s approach and intention.

The characters in these paintings with human figures, animals and birds reminds us of Indian folk tales and promotes the lost conception of community living. His lines have a natural flow. Movement, rhythm and volume is Rana’s strength. His colours and subjects are as rustic as it should be.

From figurative art to abstract art is not an easy jump for an artist. However, Rana has effortlessly switched over to this style. The fire technique remains constant. Rana’s abstract has its own power. Fire symbolizes conversion and passion. Everything that comes in touch with fire, gets metamorphosed, often beyond recognition– Rana makes this come true with his art. But he creates formless forms which add value to the character of fire.

From space to depth, the touch of gold foil and minimal use of colour makes you fall in love with fine arts to the core. His composition and technique is as true as his sporadically titled works – life and balanced.

Anyone looking at his works will immediately be able to see eye to eye his hard work, passion and more importantly, appreciate his artistic guts to experiment. Life is akin to flames – births and deaths;ups and downs. Rana’s positive attitude uses this flame to create, motivate and inspire the society to have an optimistic outlook and thus convert austerity into prosperity and make the impossible possible.