Phalguni Dasgupta’s Watercolors
Nature with its vast mountains, unbounded
oceans, flora, fauna and cosmic
life, does not only play a vital role
in life; Nature is the central force of
our existence, providing us with all we
need for physical well being and also
solace for the bruised mind. Nature
quite naturally has remained the constant
focus of my art.
This, I am certain, does not dilute the
significance of my art. If anything it
makes my art reach out to viewers
across the boundaries of land and
ocean, color and civilization. Nature is
universal and so is its appeal. When I
put up my art for public viewing I want
to share my creativity with people. In
all honesty, I want them to see my
paintings, understand them, appreciate
them and empathize with the emotions
that lie behind them.
If my themes are simple, so is my approach.
I have no pretensions. The flow
in my lines, the flow of colors, everything
is meant for the common man
whose love, to my mind, is the ultimate
test of art. However, that does not
mean that there is no experimentation
in my work. I play around with pigment,
with brush strokes, with the
texture of the paper, the startling results
of mixing colors and the amazing
reaction of sprinkling salt on colors. I
have done so for yours, nay decades,
and I am still taken by surprise. I am in
all honesty still learning.
I have exclusively worked with watercolors
since the beginning of my career
in art. I would not sacrifice its transparency
at any cost. Initially I was motivated
by Turner, and I tried to follow
the methods of the master watercolorist.
However I soon charted an
independent course. The process of
applying colors changed. I started to
experiment with various materials but
my art always reflects a stylized realism.
I have no quarrels with abstract
expressionism or modern art. However
I have learned from Abanindranath Tagore
that to be able to destroy or distort,
one should first master how to
create. Stylization therefore comes
later.
My figures look Indian. They have
evolved out of our traditions in Rajput
and Mogul paintings, and yet the style
is entirely mine. Arguments over style
or schools of art do not ever touch me.
I know that even the most nmodern of
artists, cannot ignore the old masters
who ruled the old world, embodying
values that are regarded by the whole
world. Leonardo Da Vinci, Michael Angelo,
Rembrandt, Botticelli, Raphael…
which of these masters have gone
stale? Which of them are we bored of,
even after repeated viewings? God
created man in his own image and he
created with an understanding of life.
Is man an abstract concept? Is life an
abstraction? So, how can we discard
something simply because it is not
abstract? Perhaps we need a child to
come along and say “the emperor has
no clothes!”
This is my understanding of the world
and it is this understanding that imbues
my art. I see the world with my
eyes and interpret it with insight.
Whatever has thrilled me, whatever I
have treasured in life, I try to share
with my viewers. If it is not cerebral or
intellectual, so be it. I am ruled by
Emotions, Instincts and Beliefs and if
my work evokes the same in my viewers,
I am more than gratified.
Phalguni Dasgupta
|
