At the age of seven, when he saw clay idols of Durga taking shape at the hands of artisans, he felt hypnotic. Since that day Paresh Maity started his tryst with art. It has been 40 years now, and still the artist wishes to continue to paint till his last day.
“I started clay modelling birds, and nature was my first inspiration. What fascinated me the most at that age was the peacock. I used to wonder how it’s feathers become like a fan when it decides to dance,” says the 51-year-old artist.
A selection of water colours paintings, from his art works of four decades, have been put together as part of the exhibition — The World of Watercolours. “I chose to exhibit my water colours works because they are my heart and soul. This exhibition also has the works which I created when I was in third standard. That time I didn’t have proper canvas so I made do with just pieces of paper from my notebook,” he adds.
Curated by Sunaina Anand, the show has 130 paintings in different sizes, which give a surreal feeling of unison between the human beings and water as Maity’s bold colours blend together. The element of water is quite prominent in most of his works in this exhibition, to which he says, “I have been born and brought up close to water bodies. Whenever I travel by water, I don’t feel sick. I think water gives a sense of softness in life and in the paintings it adds a three dimensional effect. All the major civilisations in the world were also established near water.”
{{/usCountry}}Curated by Sunaina Anand, the show has 130 paintings in different sizes, which give a surreal feeling of unison between the human beings and water as Maity’s bold colours blend together. The element of water is quite prominent in most of his works in this exhibition, to which he says, “I have been born and brought up close to water bodies. Whenever I travel by water, I don’t feel sick. I think water gives a sense of softness in life and in the paintings it adds a three dimensional effect. All the major civilisations in the world were also established near water.”
{{/usCountry}}Though there are a lot of seascapes, the presence of humans cannot be overlooked in his works. It is this relation between human beings and water that the artist explores through vivid hues. “As a student I couldn’t find a comprehensive book on water colours, which is an extremely difficult medium. I felt the need to preserve this art. Therefore, along with this exhibition I’m also releasing a book on water colours for the youngsters to refer and research.”