Rabindra Krishna Paul is one of the last exponents of the wash technique of painting. The octogenarian artist tells Shrabasti Mallik that his ongoing show is an ode to his memories of Shantiniketan
In the exhibits that are on display, one comes across several images that speak of the relationship that a mother and her child enjoys. In various moods, she is seen suckling her infant, cradling and trying to put her baby inside a mosquito net. “The image of the mother and child is one of my most beloved subjects and I have painted numerous art pieces in that subject,” says Rabindra Krishna Paul, whose solo exhibition titled Memories of Shantiniketan, is being held at the Art life Gallery.
One of the paintings is of a flower plant, which the artist had himself painted during his college days in Shantiniketan in the 50s. Titled Holly Hop, Paul had painted it with handmade colours, which were derived by grinding coloured stones. “The numbers of colour options are limited in handmade colours because you only get only specific coloured stones. They are available in yellow, white, green and black, it is a laborious process. Paintings done with these colours are not glossy and bright, they have a matt finish. But in the later years, I used tube colours and colours available in the market,” the artist explains. Similarly, all the paintings that are on display are visual descriptions of the life, surroundings and people of Shantiniketan. There is a collection titled The Six Seasons which portrays the emotions and the surrounding of the place during seasons. “All seasons have their special significance in lives of the people. The paintings reflect that,” he said. The painting depicting the harvesting season has copious shades of yellow while spring, the season of love, is depicted with two lovers.
Not many would know that the octogenarian is an exponent of the wash technique of painting which was pioneered by Abanindranath Tagore. The process is intricate. It requires to first dip the paper in water and place it on a board, and when the paper is almost dry, it can be gently painted with a flat brush to get the desired effect. “The paper has to be damp, not too dry and not too wet. If it is too wet, the paint will spread,” elaborates the artist who was trained by artist Prasanta Roy, a direct disciple of Abanindranath Tagore.
The wash technique allows maximum scope for improvisation over all techniques and Paul takes full advantage of it, using the method to portray landscapes and everyday sights. The depiction of the chaiwala, a Santhali woman putting wild flowers on her bun and a man and a woman carrying crops on their heads are few examples that he is showing.
Paul likes to keep his paintings simple and away from hidden messages because he calls himself “a relaxed man.” “I do not pretend to preach morality or uphold any class struggle,” he says, “Nostalgia is a part of my paintings. I paint whatever I feel deeply passionate for.” According to him, 60s to 80s was a ‘simpler’ time period for artists. The techniques were simple and so were the subjects. The appeal of his paintings is directly aimed at man, the seeker within the mental body who is constantly engaged in breaking the physical limitations.
With his failing eyesight, numerous operations and other ageing issues, he is unable to paint now. The 84-year-old artist has had a limited number of exhibitions in his lifetime because of his work at the Khadi Gram Udyog in Kolkata. “Although it did not stop me from painting in my leisure time, it left me very little scope for organising frequent exhibitions,” he points out. The exhibition ends today.