Passionate about art
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Jatin Das
Painter |
For more than forty years now, Jatin Das has relentlessly pursued the prime passion of his life-Art.
To him art epitomises the best, finest and the most beautiful things which life has to offer. Even a layman will not fail to perceive a certain degree of force,and of power in his works.Talk to him about art, and you see him exude great vim vigour and vitality. His energy and enthusiasm is almost demoniac. Das has participated in innumerable exhibitions including bienniales and trienniales both in India and abroad---from Bhopal and Bombay to Bangladesh to Cuba to Bradford,Venice and Paris. He has to his credit, many murals in Egg Tempera, mosaic, cement and oils. This bearded gentleman, who is addicted to black coffee, has during the last five years or so, been vigorously working with water colours on paper and this, he feels is attaining a certain degree of maturity in his hands.
In an interview with National Network of Education the artist reveals several aspects of his personality:What attracted you to art? I firmly believe every human being has some innate ability to paint, sing or dance. Of these, painting comes naturally to every individual. Only it has to be nurtured and developed. The Victorian concept of "I cannot draw a straight line" is rather vulgar, I think. Therefore, I would like to say that painting came to me naturally. Moreover, I was born and grew up in Mayurbhanj district of Orissa- a culturally enriched area and replete with natural beauty, a fine blend of sands and the sea. I revelled in their beauty.These factors helped me in the pursuit of art.
What is art to you? Art is my life, my passion, my release, my vision and my anguish......
How has your success affected you? I do not look at art from the point of view of success or failure. I paint because I love to paint, not to gather name and fame. I am a worker and a student. I do not care for success. Praise or condemnation do not affect me at all............
Have you had any formal training in art? Yes, I studied at the J.J School Of Art in Bombay.
What are the salient features of your works? The crux of my work is dynamism, passion, movement, energy. My works are not narrative in the sense they do not tell any stories.They have no parameters of time and space. The figure in my works are bare and minimal. They hardly reveal anything about what is being depicted......
Which painters do you admire and get inspired by?I admire Michelangelo, Da Vinci and Ram Kinkar Baij. Everything inspires me......plants animals, the sky, the clouds, light, people, painting, music, dance, fabrics and so forth........
Which medium do you use? I have experimented with and used diverse media including oils, water colours and ink printing....
How much time do you devote to a painting each day?Anything between five to ten to fifteen hours a day, and sometimes none at all...
What are your other interests? I am passionate about music and admire maestros like Kumar Gandharv and Bhimsen Joshi. I also write poetry in English. I have published a volume of my poems and I am currently working on the second volume. Besides, I love plants, animals and cooking.......
How does it feel to be the celebrity father of a celebrity daughter? I do not like the word celebrity. We are just doing our work. I am a painter and Nandita Das is an actress and we try to do do our jobs well. That is all. However, it makes me feel happy.
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