Artist Vikash Kalra tells Divya Kaushik how greats like Picasso taught him lessons to be original and view everything as beautiful, with no difference of what is ‘good’ or ‘bad’
He calls himself self-taught and he got into painting because he realised that he could let thoughts and emotions flow freely on the canvas. “Moreover, when a person needs company, and looks to friends and others around, you realise that no matter how close they are, they will, at some point disagree with you on how you feel. But a canvas, like books, can be your true friend. A place to pour your innermost thoughts. So paintings become the language to one’s mind,” shared Vikash Kalra. His exhibition, Angels of History, is on at the Art Konsult Gallery. It has been curated by Johny Ml.
Kalra lost his father, when he was a boy. As a student, he involved himself with his dad’s newspaper distribution business. “I went through lots of ups and downs and looked forward to some medium that could provide relief, away from life’s mundaness. I tried writing as well. But after a point, I was unable to. However, there was no stopping me when I painted. The ideas kept coming,” shared Kalra, who began leafing through several art books. He also visited art galleries and institutions to look at works by masters like Picasso and Souza.
“I had no formal training and the only option to better my works was to learn by observing. I concentrated on the masters and also studied their lives to know why they used to paint in certain style. Each artist’s paintings are influenced by their lives. They also reflect what kind of person the artist is,” he said.
As for what he learnt from various artists, he added, “From Francis Bacon I learnt that instead of following trends, one should follow the heart and be original. He used to paint blood on his canvas and felt nothing was ugly. In his time, the paintings were widely criticised and termed dark and dreadful. But now he is recognised as a master. The paintings sell in millions. Picasso’s paintings show he believed in sharing love without differences. The use of bright colours revealed how much he was in love with people around. So from him, I have learnt to follow my heart.”
He went on, “Most artists teach you there is no ‘good’ or ‘bad’. I think what might be good to me, could e bad to another. And vice versa. So you can derive inspiration from whatever you want and paint whatever you like. Painting is not a calculative business for a certain section. More than anything, it is for your own creative satisfaction.” Though most of his paintings are bright, Kalra said he doesn’t take colours into account.
“Anything that comes to hand and looks good is the colour for my paintings. They can be abstract, human figures or sceneries I relate to. Anything that remains with me, as part of my thoughts, is part of my work,” he concluded. The title is to share his love for the masters who have inspired him. The exhibition continues till April 19.