French notes on India
Hema Vijay

Sunday Herald, Chennai, Sun 3 February 2008


Warning: include(../press/French notes on India The works of French artist Olaf Van Cleef, also a counsellor on high range jewellery with Cartier, are more Carnatic than Cartier, observes Hema Vijay The French connection is invisible. Much as in eclectic Indian jewellery, sparkling gems, bright Swarovski crystals, and an assortment of glittering stuff like golden foil have been intricately and generously put together. Over a pale watercolour base, though. The concepts addressed are also Indian. To be more specific, they are almost totally drawn from Hindu mythology… Vishnu and his consorts relaxing on the Adisesh in the celestial ocean, and Dasara processions in Mysore, to name a few. There is also the rare abstract work, but it is more an exception than the rule. Then you begin to focus on the intricate square motifs with mathematical symbols which go on to compose the base of the painting. You begin to wonder, what’s a Frenchman doing in the middle of such an Indian-feeling and Indian-looking work of in /home/olafvancleef/olafvancleef.org/archives/index.php on line 162

Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening '../press/French notes on India The works of French artist Olaf Van Cleef, also a counsellor on high range jewellery with Cartier, are more Carnatic than Cartier, observes Hema Vijay The French connection is invisible. Much as in eclectic Indian jewellery, sparkling gems, bright Swarovski crystals, and an assortment of glittering stuff like golden foil have been intricately and generously put together. Over a pale watercolour base, though. The concepts addressed are also Indian. To be more specific, they are almost totally drawn from Hindu mythology… Vishnu and his consorts relaxing on the Adisesh in the celestial ocean, and Dasara processions in Mysore, to name a few. There is also the rare abstract work, but it is more an exception than the rule. Then you begin to focus on the intricate square motifs with mathematical symbols which go on to compose the base of the painting. You begin to wonder, what’s a Frenchman doing in /home/olafvancleef/olafvancleef.org/archives/index.php on line 162