"Life is more important than art. Everything and everyone has the ability to bring about change. A lot of people are caught up in the material world and they don't notice the beauty around them," said artist Jatin Das. With the ability to caress and transform the unconventional through visual imagery, poetry and art; the artist has found a way to fundamentally connect with each mortal soul thriving on this planet.
Filled with intensity and passion, his eccentric ways of sketching human figures, relationships and emotional tension have brought forth new dimensions in the contemporary Indian art spectrum.
Most of his paintings represent a certain amount of liberation and sincerity. The fluid textures, passionate expressions and linearity of his images reveal an intrinsic beauty lurking beneath his paintings. In conversation with City Express, the artist spoke about his love for art and spirituality.
Born in the princely state of Mayurbhanj, Jatin Das's tryst with art began at a very young age. "I grew up in a traditional Hindu family. However, I am neither a religious person nor an atheist. I stand alone. When I look back now, I realise that I had an extremely holistic and sensitive upbringing. I had a beautiful little garden which I looked after and would spend all my time there. In fact, I nurtured the garden and that constitutes a major part of my upbringing and creativity. And, I grew up looking at period architecture and visiting libraries," said Das.
With dreams in his eyes and hope in his heart, Jatin Das came to Mumbai to study art at the age of 17. In fact, he believes that he had another holistic upbringing in Bombay by way of exposure to different art forms. "In order to save money, I would sketch and walk all the way to my hostel. So, I went through that kind of hardship, self-imposed discipline and never compromised on my work at all. And, that journey of ethics and involvement still continues. When you are talking about creativity, I feel everybody is creative in some way or the other. I think it is important for a person to weed out all unnecessary things in life and get into the deeper aspects. This will make you intense and passionate. Your creativity has to be coupled with spirituality. It is your own journey. Frankly, to be an artist you need many lives. One life is not enough," said the artist who further added that the entire creative process is much more enriching than the final product.
One summer afternoon, 27 years ago, Jatin Das saw a friend sitting depressed in his studio in Nizamuddin. The artist picked up a pankha (hand fan) and candidly said, "Let me stir the still air." And, thus began his journey of collecting pankhas. Today, his collection boasts of over 6,500 traditional fans that haven been painstakingly procured from all over the world. The artist feels that traditional crafts have survived in India because rural folk still make and use them. He would often ask chowkidars, cooks and peons for hand fans because they are people who are still connected to our tradition. "Despite having a rich cultural background, Indians are not really concerned about their roots. It is not a part of our living. It is not a part of our curriculum. Indians have alienated themselves from their culture and simply aping Western paradigms," said Das whose latest project involves painting a mural for the Bangalore International Airport.
According to the artist, there are very few people in our country who live like artists. It is important for every individual to choose his or her own path of enlightenment.
"Don't do anything that is not meaningful. Don't read a book for the sake of passing time. Read a poem which will enlighten you. Look at a painting that will elevate you. It is a fantastic challenge when you don't know what you are going to do next. There is an inner discipline, an inner flow of energy which then becomes your guiding force," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment