Green strokes

Through his paintings, artist Aku Jha wishes to express his gratitude to nature. He has done portraits, murals, still-life, landscapes, figurative compositions and wildlife; and explored all the medias be it oil, acrylic, water or
pastel colours.

On his work…
“Conspicuously I appear as a realist but I also love doing decorative style. Many of my paintings have realistic elements but are used as design,” asserts Aku who is an avid nature lover and considers nature as his biggest teacher. Through his paintings, he wishes to express his gratitude towards nature. “There is immense mystery and grandeur in nature,” adds Aku.

Finding the path…
A national award winning artist, Aku ran away from his home in Bhagalpur (Bihar) once he completed his school.  “Coming from an orthodox society where a government job was the only paradigm of a good living, I had to go through enough struggle,” says Aku. He pursued fine arts from M S University. “There is always a definite image in my mind before I translate it onto the canvas; but of course there are times when things do change,” says Aku on his methodology. “Anything that interests me, I’m
inspired to express it thorough art. Art cannot be confined, it’s fathomless,” he adds.

Role of the artist…
Aku has earned great accolades for his art works. And even at the age of 70, he is as curious as a child of seven, bubbling with an urge to learn and evolve. “The significant role of an artist is that he becomes the window through which he shares the beauty of the beyond.”
 

‘Each day we lose our green cover’
Painter Partho Chatterjee explains the perspectives that inspire him artistically.

What made you choose the theme of ‘Conflict v/s Harmony’ vis-à-vis man and nature?
Conflict and opposition have been a part of the
human experience — whether our society is suffering from communal
issues or over rapid urbanisation.  Each day we lose a part of our green cover. The mechanical life children have, loneliness and the selfishness of
human society, also reflect in my paintings.

What is your perspective on urbanisation?
Urbanisation is an ongoing, and accelerating process. Yet what it brings with it — a loss of greenery, lack of children’s play spaces and an apartment culture can destroy our humanism and friendships, break down the joint family culture and result in alienation.

What are your greatest sources of inspiration, both in painting and in life?
From my childhood I have been very fond of paintings of Indian masters like Husain, Raza, Souza, Jehangir Sabawala, Bikash Bhattacharya and Ganesh Pyne.  However, I have an almost blind love was for Bengal School artists like Nandalal Bose, Abanindranath Tagore and Hemen Majumder.