Artist Sanjay Bhattacharya talks to Chahak Mittal about how he finds inspiration for his paintings which reflect realism, spirituality and emotion
From the gurudwaras in north India, where the allure of God is equated with gold, to the sacred feminine spirit of the Kalighat temple in Bengal and Kamakhya in Assam in the east, the spartan grace of Shirdi Saibaba in the west as well as the opulent Tirupati Balaji in the south, artist Sanjay Bhattacharya brings together a world of Indian shrines and pilgrimages in his paintings for the first time through his series called Cosmic Auras. He brings together all the four directions of the compass, highlighting how Indian architecture is about exploring improbable beauty.
But this is not the first time that he has delved into the realm of religion. He says, “I used to paint gods like Ganesha and goddesses like Kali, Durga, even Shurpnakha. This time I painted shrines. These are ancient temples and I realised that they are repositories of art, their architecture and the structure are so different, incredible and magnificent. This really attracted me.”
His paintings also represent the symbols of Vishnu and Lord Rama. His Bengal work takes a close look at the goddess Kali. His art updates the norms of egalitarianism in the depiction of gods, who to begin with are fashioned in India after human beings. “I travel a lot and wherever I go, I capture the image in my mind and shoot it on my phone so that I could paint the scenes. To see the places closely, I prefer travelling by car. I like to do very realistic painting. I paint whatever I love,” says the artist, who initially painted a series on Kolkata. He then shifted to Delhi and travelled to Rajasthan, which he found “really interesting.” Thereafter, he also did a series on Rajiv Gandhi’s life. He reveals, “From that particular series, portraits also became my subjects. I did a series on Satyajit Ray using some of his compositions in my art. Then I did a tribute to my masters. I don’t stay constant with my works, I like to keep shifting.”
His paintings are marked by colours that strike the eyes through their extravagance. However, these are also capable of making one delve deep into the realms of life and realise how colours can change one’s perceptions.
Sanjay highlights how his colour palette is always varying. “The idea to paint something comes automatically to me. There’s no calculation in between. Normally colours like red, black and flaming orange are not in my palette. It is full of dark colours like green, brown and blue. I feel that colours are responsible for evoking an emotion in a person.”
Well, since this connoisseur and master of art has been painting since 1978, what does he have to say about the evolution of art? He says, “If we look at the masters of art, who had been there for a very long time, then it is very difficult to say that art has evolved. They left a body of work which is far better than ours. We are also painters but comparing ourselves with any old master will not be justified. They have set the standards very high for us, so we need to work a lot to reach their level. For example, Rembrandt, the master painter, has set such grammar that we cannot reach it even after struggling our entire lives.”
Art is a feeling, an emotion that is supposed to be striking. However, Bhattacharya has quite a different approach. He says, “Art needn’t be beautiful every time. Art could be shocking, painful or bring some humour in you. It is like a universe where whatever feeling a human being carries within, art reflects everything. It is open to interpretations. That is why artists are so expressive. There are some paintings, which make you happy but there are things which might sadden you or make you question certain things in life. You look at a painting and it troubles you, it’s killing you inside. In such a painting, this is the motive of the painter to make you feel troubled.”
He adds, “Whatever mental condition a painter is carrying, it gets reflected on his/her canvas. For example, I did a series on Landscapes of Shanti Niketan. They are happy paintings, which are about the beautiful things like lotuses, flowers, sunsets, sunrise, palm trees and ponds. However, the current series is more about spirituality.”
Bhattacharya believes that “there is inspiration in everything that you come across.” From a vintage car, a magnificent palace, boats in a river, rain, snowflakes, a man sleeping on the pavement, a butterfly, anything could inspire you. He adds, “You have to look at nature, the sky, everywhere. These things come to you naturally, you don’t call them.”
Exhibition will be at the Visual Arts Gallery, IHC, from September 19 to 29.