HYDERABAD: Walk into Dhi Artspace at Dharam Karan road in Ameerpet and it is a journey of the unknown, the world of abstracts. Spontaneous thoughts and ideas are splashed across the canvas fusing with each other and evolving into a dynamic form. Each piece has a magnetic appeal and pulls you in as one is forced to stand and stare at the drawings done in pen and ink. One is lost in the exhibits when veteran artist 75-year-old Bholekar Srihari mentions he finished the 49 works in just three months time! “ Mujhe drawing karne mein mazaa aata hai . When you are happy and enjoy your work, everything falls in place. There is imagination and one is able to create a human touch. It is not work, it is joy of life,” he says with a smile.
Dressed in a cream kurta and jeans with a denim waist coat, the artist looks back and shares the joy and satisfaction art has given him during the crests and troughs of his life.
Bholekar attributes his free-spirited nature to the village life he grew up in. “Till 10 years I enjoyed the village life. I hail from the Bansawada village in Nizamabad district and as children would swim and play in the river. Art has not developed because of it but its influence is still there. The energy, the process and boldness in my works comes from village atmosphere. I had come through so many situations in early life; not hardships, but I enjoyed my life as a child. My parents did not allow me to go and play in the jungle. Even now I remember childhood stories,” he recalls with a smile.
Specialised in mural paintings, Bholekar holds the distinction for holding the first contemporary one-man show in Salar Jung Museum in 1963. “I was just 21 and had exhibited my works,” he adds. The exhibits made the art lovers sit up and take notice of the young artist. “The modern paintings were bold and not decorative. The theme was my village and my imagination of the village,” he says.
His works travelled far and wide and made a name for them in the international arena. He also worked as a chief artist in Begumpet airport and worked vigorously in the world of art for 18 years before walking away from it. “I stopped everything and wanted to be a simple man without any artistic attachments,” he points out. Was it easy to stay away from art? “I have a strong will power. I stopped drinking and smoking at the age of 35 because of will power. I am born with art instinct and returned to printmaking,” he states.
At a time when artists hold on to their themes and hesitate to express in another media, Bholekar’s forte has been traversing across different media. After making a mark in print media, he has now taken a fancy towards ink drawings. “Here artists do not interact much with artists of other countries. Their works are simple as they do not experiment. Their subject is same and as a result, they get stagnated. I don’t want to be like that,” he asserts and adds, “My drawings will continue for some time and then I will shift to another media.”
Looking around, he says abstracts are to be enjoyed by all. “One can enjoy the design sense and interpret the work in one’s own way. My abstract drawing is like music. One need not know the intricacies of laya and raga but its rhythm is appreciated. Like wise, art lovers can enjoy the rhythmic lines and its composition and it is aesthetic too,” he explains.
The exhibition titled ‘The Unknown’ is view on till December 5.
