In the world of art, it is always felt that the painters should carry aheart that resonates reality of life and reflects the untold feelings and human emotions on the canvas. The painting should not only end up becoming a piece of art fit to be put up on the wall, but should transmit its inherent emotions to the viewers.
One such artist is Rehaman Patel of Kalaburagi district whose paintings vividly carry the essence of life in all its possible shades. Coming from a humble background Patel was born in Gola village in Shahabad in the erstwhile Gulbarga district which is home for Sufi and Saints. Having a Master’s degree in painting to his credit, Patel, over the years has experimented in different forms of arts including, water, oil and acrylic to learn the depth of art in is various formats to express his hidden views of life.
Besides human emotions, Patel has got immensely attracted towards the mystiques of mythology which has found a significant space in his works. One of the oldest schools of the arts is the Surpur style of painting which is gradually diminishing. It expects attention to detail and intricacy.
Gaining inspiration from local awe-inspiring art and architecture of the Rashtrakutas, Chalukya and Bahmani dynsticies, the vibrant and delicate colours are sharply seen in his paintings. These works are largely inspired from the murals inside the monuments. Bidari Art, one of the best arts India has seen, is also now facing threat of vanishing because of lack of interest among artists. A dedicated artiste that Patel is, he was honoured for his painting,
“India Under One Umbrella” at fourth International Art Exhibition held at Dhaka in Bangladesh organised by Shorong Art Group. Among his enduring works is the Narasimha Avatar, done in miniature style.
This work of his has found a permanent place at National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi and South Central Zone Cultural Centre in Nagpur, both autonomous organizations of the Union Ministry of Culture.
Keeping an artistic eye on current issues, Patel has tied to capture sorrow and happiness in his works. One such work is the series of paintings on the effect of demonetization, the much hyped step of the Union Government to bring about transparency in economy. However, many economists call the move futile which only ended up adding the misery to the life of poor people. Patel tried to highlight those miseries in his work.
Another work ‘Not in my name’ vividly displayed the agonizing life of women who have been abused.
Emphatically advocating the need for women education and empowerment, Patel tries to send this message through his art work. Strongly believing in religious harmony and brotherhood, Patel’s work exhibited in Dhaka, Bangladesh recently, essentially speaks about the unity and communal harmony of India. He says that India is one of the unique nations in the world where different religions and faiths culminate and blend to make it a bouquet of different flowers. His painting explained by using some religious symbols embedded in a single thread, which gives a message of strong cultural bond among Indian citizens. Some of his paintings have been awarded from the South Central Zone Cultural Centre Nagpur in its national art exhibition in 1997, Konaseema Chitrakala Parishads’ 29 th international art exhibition in Amalapuram, Andhra Pradesh in 2018 and also international art exhibition organised by Shorong Art Group in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in 2019 for best art work and many others. Patel has been a fellow of Union Ministry of Culture for the year 2002 for Surpur miniature paintings and Karnataka Shilpakala Academy in the year 2014 for Bidri Art research work.
Patel, a visiting faculty at the Gulbarga University, has also founded the Indian Royal Academy of Art and Culture, which is encouraging art and artists through art exhibitions, art camps, seminars, scholarships etc.
