On a balmy Thursday evening, Jehangir Art gallery is brimming with visitors. Most of them are students of the Sir J.J. School of Art who are making a beeline to see the works of artist Jatin Das. The Padma Bhushan recipient is showcasing his creations in a show titled Figures of Motion after seven years in Mumbai . Following a talk at the JJ School of Art, his alma mater, and several rounds of media interactions, the 76-year-old artist has had a long, exhausting day. But that doesn’t dampen his spirits. On the contrary, the septuagenarian is brimming with zeal and energy.
It is this indomitable spirit that has kept Das going for the last 60 years. His works can best be described as sculpted human figures on canvas that capture the myriad moods of Indian men and women going about their daily lives. He says, “I have been painting for a long time but even today it seems that I’m working for the first time. Each day is a new proposition, a new challenge for me.”
Born in Mayurbhanj, an old princely state in Odisha, Das grew up in a family and society where art and culture was an integral aspect of his upbringing. He reminisces, “My cousins would act in theatre, my sister learnt singing and everybody was involved with art, dance and music in my neighbourhood. There were many people in my town who would draw, paint, do clay modeling during Durga Puja and Saraswati Puja. In urban cities, when we talk about art or dance, we often refer to them within the context of galleries and auditoriums. But we must understand that art is so deeply ingrained in our culture that it’s a way of life.”
He confesses that he ‘never decided to become an artist, but simply became one’. During his early childhood, Das would often see his mother and aunts clean the idols of gods and goddesses and washing them with milk during Lakshmi and Saraswati puja. The intricate sculptural details of the deities left an indelible impact on him and continue to feature in his works prominently even today. He says, “Derived from the Indian culture, my paintings are bare human figures devoid of any embellishments like clothes, architecture or foliage. They are metaphorical and stem from human angst and interaction.”
During our conversation, one of the students asks him about the significance of hand gestures in his works. He dismisses her query with a light wave saying, “I don’t analyse my paintings. I simply work.”
Das points out that there is too much discussion about creativity and inspiration which according to him is completely unwarranted. “I can’t explain my paintings; I don’t know my work at all. It’s a common misconception that you must analyse a painting, song or tune. When you listen to music, I don’t think it’s important to understand which raaga is playing, you must be a rasika to enjoy the music,” he asserts.
The artist, who now resides in Delhi, hasn’t exhibited a lot in Mumbai in the recent past. He says, “Earlier, when I would showcase my works, there used to be a lot of excitement that my friends would come and see them. But now, most of them are dead and the discerning audience has diminished. Today, everyone talks about art as an investment. There is a sea change in our culture.”
He’s also the founder of the J.D. Centre of Art at Bhubaneshwar that aims to preserve and promote visual arts and crafts of all cultures. Designed by architect, B.V. Doshi and set up in 1997, it is a treasure trove of Das’s arts and antiquities that he has collected from different parts of the world. “It’s a huge collection that comprises bell metal, brass utensils, toys, fabrics, handlooms and many varieties of arts and crafts that I have collected from India as well as from my sojourns across the globe,” he shares.
The artist also owns over 6,000 pankhas (hand fans) from all over the world that he has been diligently collecting for more than three decades. As soon as Das starts talking about these hand fans, his eyes light up instantly. Describing one such pankha from Assam, he says, “These are sold for Rs 300 and given as a dowry. Originally, they were made from ivory but now they are made by sadhus using the wood of a supari tree.”
Das admits that he has a lot of anguish and angst about the state of various art institutions in the country. “There is a lot of apathy. The whole country and the government should be involved in the resurrection and replenishment of art institutions. My concern is that we must awaken the society and students about the historicity of our culture,” he states emphatically.
Figures in Motion, is ongoing at Jehangir Art Gallery till October 16
