What a better way to celebrate a birthday for Samir Mondal, the Kolkata trained artist living in Bombay, than offering flowers to his Bangalore viewers ? The artist used to live here in the 80’s and has fond memories of a clean city, with green gardens and clean air. Now, ‘there is too much traffic jam’, he said but he enjoys the nightlife, ‘especially in Indiranagar’.
‘Wishes’, his latest series, bear his trademark, the watercolours. It shows real and imaginary bright flowers in small ‘humble’ format : deep red, pure purple or strong yellow find their ways on the paper.
Since he left the Government College of Art, Kolkata, in 1975, he has never stopped exploring and using water-based colours. He is not impressed with the ‘latest new media’ and is very proud to use the oldest art medium.
The first watercolours were found in the pre-historic caves, 40,000 years ago, he said. And with today’s papers, brushes and colours, all imported from New York or Hong Kong, he feels he can do wonders. His challenge is not to go mad.
There are new supplies every day. Samir believes artists live in a world of ‘abundance’ and might be at the risk of not focusing enough on their works. They might be tempted to be driven by the media and the various available techniques rather than the content.
What a contrast with his life in the village of Balti (West Bengal), when he was a kid, enjoying drawing on a palm leaf with a bamboo pen! In this 21st century, Samir loves the platform offered by the internet and the social networks. His works can touch a ‘bigger audience’ compared to what it was 20years ago.
Over the years and in order to respond to this global reach, he has added ‘more spirituality’ into his watercolours. And perhaps his medium, allowing him to make ‘weightless, lyrical and foggy’ art works, helps him to contribute to the art scene with authenticity.
Samir is one of these artists who takes time to work. He does not hit the drawing board every day. He likes watching around him. He likes meeting and listening to his peers and friends.
He likes ‘digesting’ all the inputs he gets in order to transform them into watercolours. Samir ‘borrows elements from his time’ and fixes them on paper in a battle of colours and grains. Wishes, a solo show of paintings by Samir Mondal is on till Saturday 4th August at Gallery Sumukha, no 24/10, BTS Depot Road, Wilson Garden
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