Artists have always tried drawing from nature and its effect on the human mind. U.S.-based artist Rajendra Mehta too has tried to import it on to his latest paintings, which were on display at All India Fine Arts and Craft Society (AIFACS) gallery in New Delhi recently. The artist says, the paintings appropriately named “Emotions and Nature”, focus on various moods and mental states of human beings and the effect of nature on the human subconscious. “My paintings reflect experiences in life and various cultures. I am fascinated by the flexibility and adaptability of the human mind and form. I draw from my own life experiences as well as from various cultures, yoga forms, etc,” he says.
For Mehta, “Painting is a form of meditation. When I paint, I am in samadhi which Hindus believe is a mental state when a person is so focused on one thing that he is completely unaware of his surroundings and even himself.” Mehta uses oil, water and acrylic on his canvas and calls his art work “quite raw.” “Most of my oil paintings are completed using only a knife.”
A graduate in geology, Mehta has no formal training in art. He says he learned painting from his friends, who are professional artists. “Painting was my childhood hobby. I always found myself attracted to painting,” he says. An extensive traveller, New Jersey-based Mehta says travelling from place to place satisfies his quest for life. “While travelling, I find answers to hidden mysteries of the world and discover unseen facets of life. Travelling has a deep impact on my work,” says the artist who lived some years of his life in India and Africa.
Despite the economic recession, Mehta is optimistic about the scope of art in India. He says, “Earlier, paintings had only the scope of being bought for corporate house walls or hotel gallerias. Now there are people outside this coterie who have started to realise the beauty that lies within (the paintings), and are trying to grasp the hidden message.”
