The Malwa region in Madhya Pradesh has long inspired artists with its natural beauty and colourful people.
Painters from MP talk about their profession, work and living and painting in Malwa
The Malwa region in Madhya Pradesh has long inspired artists with its natural beauty and colourful people. In fact some of the greatest painters in the country, including MF Husain, NS Bendre and MS Joshi, are the alumni of the 75-year-old Indore School of Art. “Our surroundings are unbelievably beautiful and it shows in our work,” says Indore-based artist Harendra Shah who, along with seven others, is currently in Mumbai to showcase his work at the ongoing exhibition ‘Summer Journey’ at Nehru Centre, Worli.
The paintings on display are a medley of colours and focus on the beauty and heritage of Malwa. Bright and earthy hues fight for attention, be it in abstract or in human form. “I have focused on two of the most beautiful things in the universe — women and flowers,” says Ajay Patidar who merges the female form with flowers to give a surreal effect. Influences of tribal art and jewellery are also visible in Patidar’s works.
Then there is Khanderao Pawar who gave up a government job to take up art full time. “An artist should not be saddled with a 9 to 5 job,” he says with a smile. Rajeev Waingankar, who works as an artist with the labour commission in Indore, couldn’t agree more. “You need all the time in the world to pursue your passion. But sometimes art takes a backseat due to financial constraints,” Waingankar says.
However the artists are unanimous in their opinion that pursuing art as a career option has become quite lucrative in recent times. “There was a time when artists were nothing but strugglers without a job. Not anymore,” feels Shah who has been painting since the last 30 years. “I would even go as far as saying that artists have bigger and better prospects than any other professionals in the country,” he adds.
The other artists who are displaying their work at Summer Journey’ include Narayan Patidar, Ramesh Kher, Shankar Shinde and Roop Kumar Kumariya. The exhibition is on till May 21.
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