Tradition and modernity makes a beautiful blend in the 16 paintings by Delhi-based artist, Nitai Das who is currently exhibiting his collection at Jehangir Art Gallery.
Tradition and modernity makes a beautiful blend in the 16 paintings by Delhi-based artist, Nitai Das who is currently exhibiting his collection at Jehangir Art Gallery.
In his artworks, done with oils and acrylics, Nitai has combined Indian traditional and Mexican folk art with a few contemporary touches. So, while the subjects of his plays are traditional gods and goddesses, the style with which he has executed them, according to the artist, has evolved over several years of research and practice.
Behind the harmonic strokes of the paintbrush on the canvas, there are angry words conveyed by the artist – a message against the aimless imbibing of Western influence into our traditional artworks. Das explains, “Folk art is probably one genre where we have little choice to copy from Western art. When young artists blindly copy from Western artists, it is a blow to our indigenous evolution of art.”
Das says a fine example to follow will be to observe the growth of art in China. He explains, “Chinese people are so protective about their culture. They have not let outside styles to taint their traditional, and this is partly the reason for their superpower status today.”
To complement thousand-year-old indigenous Indian art, Das has combined elements from Mexican folk art, a tradition that took birth in the cradle of a civilisation that is one of the oldest to have formed on the face of the earth. However, it was no mean task. It took years of research and experimentation that culminated in the current collection.
Das says, “When I took my first collection of paintings — themed on Egyptian folk art — to Germany, it was greatly appreciated. I sought inspiration from that incident to research on folk art from different parts of the world.”
During his stay in Mumbai, the 38-year-old artist has made an interesting observation. He says, “People are getting more spiritual and less religious. Technology and scientific advancements have taken over traditional religious beliefs. However, that should not be an excuse to replace art forms that depict gods and goddesses. My paintings portray that it can be a harmonious co-existence between the old and the new, the tradition and the modern.”
The exhibition of paintings is on at Jehangir Art gallery till January 6.
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