SatyaSewak Mukherjee Artist

There are the Romantics, the Expressionists, the Neo- Realists and so on, but it is an uphill task to categorise the artist in question into these niches. For his works display the sweet lyricism of the Bengal Romantics, chilling matter of factness of the Realists and the agony of the Expressionists. Meet Mr. SatyaSewak Mukherjee, the well known modern artist from Kolkatal(now settled in New Delhi),who dexterously blends various schools of art in his works. Mukherjee has had a chequered career from teaching art to heading art departments of a number of well established media houses. Her has participated in several group as well as solo exhibitions throughout his fairly long innings.

Satyasewak Mukherjee displayed some of his latest works at the Lalit Kala Akademi, in the capital, sometime back. That was where the National Network of Education's correspondent caught up with him for an informal chat. Most willingly, the artist talked about his love for Art, and his view of life.

Excerpts from the interview:

What would you like to tell us about your early life and family background?

I was born in my ancestral village in Rangpur in East Bengal (now Bangladesh) in 1930, but have spent most of my life in Kolkata. My father was an advocate and we lived in a large joint family. Right from childhood I was interested in art; I vigorously painted and sketched everything that I saw around me. My father generally mocked and scoffed me about my penchant for Art, but kaka ( my father's younger brother) encouraged me a lot. Once I even told my father very clearly that I hated the legal profession-the very sight of him browsing though those voluminous case studies, repulsed me. After finishing my high school, I joined the Indian Art College,Kolkata and after graduation went on to do postgraduation in Art Appreciation from Kolkata University.

Tell us about your career in Art

For ten years I taught at my Alma Mater ,the Indian Art College, Kolkata. Thereafter I served in the creative department a good number of national media houses, the last being Hindustan Times in New Delhi, where I have been residing since the early 70's .I have also served in the capacity of external examiner for many of the Indian universities. I was the founder member of the Society of Contemporary Artists in Kolkata and the Prayag Kala Samiti ( prakash) Allahabad. I was awarded gold medals by Academy of Fine Arts, National Academy of Fine Art & Crafts(both in Kolkata) repectively Iwas a member of the Lalit Kala Akademi, UP state.

What inspired you to take up Art?

For me Art is not a profession. It is my passion. I paint and draw what I see around me, the simple things of everyday life; I am deeply touched by the poverty sorrow and misery around me, but it is their humane quality that appeals to me the most. In other words, I paint what I like.

What are you commonest themes ?

What I paint today is vastly different from what I used to paint some decades ago. Not only me, any artist's themes may well vary from age to age from time to time. What I earlier thought was good is not good for me anymore. Every artist undergoes a conflict within himself/herself at some point of his/her career; time when he puts the past behind him and generates new ideas, themes etc. Theme is not as important as an artist's calibre and inner talent. Take the case of emperor Shahjahan.He built the Tajmahal as a symbol of eternal love. But his exquisite masterpiece made him far more famous, nay immortal than the original theme-his wife Mumtaaz Mahal.

In course of my life I have seen the suffering and the miserable plight of women hailing from all classes of the society; this phenomenon has been rampant even outside Bengal in other parts of the country. I was deeply pained to observe women (particularly widows) being treated as men's property, bound and chained by religious dogmas, cruel social customs and beliefs, wallowing in poverty and ignorance. These women form the mainstay of my works.

Who are your favourite artists among Indians and Europeans?

Among Indian painters, I greatly admire Nandalal Bose, who depicts realism in all his works .His paintings are replete with vivacity and the joy of living. Among European masters I admire Paul Gaugain and more particularly Vincent Van Gogh whom I find highly inspiring. In his paintings his heart cries out for the poor and the downtrodden. One of his famous pieces, The Potato Eaters relives the agony and the drudgery of the poor folks.

What are the personal traits, which an artist should have to be successful?

An artist must not see merely with his eyes. Rather he must look at everything with the brain and a sensitive heart, with reason and knowledge. He must be able to perceive and depict emotions in each subject or object that he paints.

How do you rate Art as a full-time career option?

I personally feel Art is an excellent career option. Some 40-50 years back, when we were young, this was not the case. The people in general frowned upon artists. However during the last 20-25 years things have been looking up. This sphere has made very good progress. In fact artists are needed in diverse spheres, in almost every walk of life. As for the remunerations, well the sky is the limit…..

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(As told to Ruchira Ghosh)