Grewal’s Window to the World

Imagine standing before a six-metre art piece, curving gently around you. Crashing sea waves, misty hills, golden hues on distant cliffs. A connection to nature and somehow, yourself. A window to the world. A window to yourself. If this sounds enticing, welcome to Grewal’s Window to the World.

Image on left-hand side: John Constable, The Cornfield, painted 1826. National Gallery, London (UK).

Artist Jake Grewal‘s work doesn’t just sit pretty on a wall, it pulls you in and leaves you standing in the middle of something vast and alive, bringing with it an emotive space to ‘feel’ the work.

What he is doing, in many ways, is re-introducing Romanticism; an art form originating in the late 18th century, focusing on big human emotions and even bigger landscapes. Think of the awe-inspiring scenery depicted in, say, British artist John Constable‘s (1776 – 1837) The Cornfield; scenery so powerful, it absorbs the viewer, making them feel small in the best way possible.

Grewal’s most recent six-metre panoramic painting, being shown at Studio Voltaire, under his first institutional exhibition, Under The Same Sky, isn’t just a homage to the sublime landscapes of 19th-century art, but is a re-covering, re-visiting, and even a reinterpretation, of Romanticism through a contemporary lens. Think less grandeur, more modern-day expression. 

Jake Grewal, Work in progress, 2024. © Jake Grewal. Courtesy of the artist and Thomas Dane Gallery. Photo: Ben Westoby.

The piece’s triptych (three panels of an artwork) unfolds seamlessly to tell a story. On the very left, stormy sea, and dramatic skies. In the centre, soft hills wrapped in an even softer light. And on the right? A sun-lit cliff basking in golden hues, feeling much like a warm embrace. Beyond just visually, it’s an emotional journey, the panels flow from chaos to calm, taking you along for the ride. 

Now, here is where Grewal gets creative. Romantic artists, traditionally, have always painted nature as something humans observed and admired from a distance. Through his piece, however, Grewal challenges this narrative. His curved canvas doesn’t just show you the world he created, it invites you into it, covering and wrapping you in its shadow, light, and texture. You’re not just looking at it from afar; you’re a part of it; immersive, much like nature itself. 

The invention of cameras changed everything for the art world and led to the birth of modern art, where photos made documentation of the world seamless and accessible. As a result of this, artists began to dive deeper into their creations, focusing more on capturing what a lens couldn’t; the emotional, abstract and messy beauty of how life is experienced.

This is exactly what Grewal does. In his piece, his inspirations, Cornwall’s coastlines and India’s landscapes, aren’t just painted as they look, but as they feel.

Hang this painting on a blank wall in a windowless room, and suddenly you’ve got a view; a window to the world, re-covered and re-imagined. A constant reminder that art, much like nature, is something to lose yourself in. And isn’t that what any great artwork should do? Wrap around you, transport you, and make you feel something worth holding on to. 

Jake Grewal, Under The Same Sky (15 January – 13 April 2025), at Studio Voltaire (studiovoltaire.org).

If you enjoyed reading Grewal’s Window to the World, then also consider reading A Great Time to Love Art.

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