A gesture life

Different strokes

Shombit Sengupta, the globe-trotting design expert, has operated a hectic corporate schedule strategising for over 2,000 brands around the world. Now, at 61, he has returned to his first love and passion: fine art.

Sen exhibited his paintings regularly in Paris and Kolkata till 1999, and took a break of 15 years from gallery shows. This year, he is back with a bang, having exhibited in Tokyo, Venice, Austria, Kolkata, Paris and Milan.

While his early work showed proficiency in academic style of rendering of landscapes and portraits, Sen has, over the years, allowed his palette to become stronger and more colourful. His latest suite of paintings is characterised by vibrant hues and energetic brush strokes. Some of them memorise his struggling days in Paris when a pair of bananas, eggs, and an occasional apple was all he could afford for a meal.

Exponent of what he terms as ‘Gesturism art’, Sen created Leonardo Labyrinth (a large painting with 24 interchangeable canvases) as a ‘scrambled installation’ and displayed it recently at Museo d’Arte e Scienza, Italy. Early this year, his book, SenGesturism Art: An artist’s journey from Kolkata to Paris, was released by Sage Publication. Sitting in his spacious studio at Bengaluru (his second home), the French artist shared nuggets of his life’s incredible journeys.

Here are some excerpts from a free-wheeling interaction:

On his childhood: I was born and raised in a squatted refugee colony outside Kolkata. My father was a staunch Communist leader with hardly any income; my mother was a teacher in a local school. Even as a young boy, I was drawn to arts. A family friend from the adjoining Railway Colony, Subhinoy kaku, mentored me. He was himself an outstanding artist, but remained lowly-paid all his life, working in electric supply. He was my role model.

When I applied for a seat at the Government College of Art and Craft, Kolkata, I was asked to draw a human figure. Thanks to Shubhinoy uncle’s training, it was the easiest thing for me to do and gain admission.

On his journey to Paris: I enjoyed my stint in the art college; but after a while, I found myself getting increasingly drawn to western art.  The urge to go to Paris became so strong that I left college in the third year. My mother sold whatever little jewellery she had and helped me buy a return ticket for Rs 2,700 and a three-month visa. So, on a fine November morning in 1973, I landed in Paris with almost no money, no contacts, and not knowing a single French word! All I had was a dream to somehow join a prestigious art school in Paris and become an artist!

On his initial days in Paris: They were really tough. I found a saviour in Dr C K Pyne, an Indian scientist in Paris, who saw my portfolio and liked my ambition to be an artist. He loaned me 300 francs and gave a place to stay for a few months. Looking for a job for survival, I ended up becoming a sweeper in a lithographic print shop, Jacques Gourdon atelier. Gourdon and his wife Monique gave me the job knowing fully well that I had no proper papers.

More importantly, they never treated me as a sweeper while presenting me to famous artists who came to the atelier. These artists also encouraged me, and even bought some of my watercolours and sketches to keep me afloat. Eventually, I could take the tough entrance test and attend my dream art school, Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-arts and Academie Julian, the graphic design school in Paris.

On his shift to advertising: I managed to stay at the art school for a couple of years but could not sustain financially for long. The Gourdon atelier had closed down; I also had to send some money to my parents. So I started looking for a job again and landed in an advertising firm. In the next few years, I worked with nine companies till I finally became the creative director of a leading design firm. I launched my own design consulting firm in 1984, where I combined commerce with art to create breakthrough designs. I could connect strongly with the masses with extremely disruptive ideas and that brought in huge commercial success to my clients. I created a new language of design which was essentially derived from my paintings.

On his favourite artists: As a young boy, when I first saw a book on Vincent van Gogh, his paintings struck me like a thunderbolt of colour application! Later on, I got to see the work of Leonardo da Vinci. A complete artist, designer, inventor, he was a genius far ahead of his time. The works of these two artists are a source of perennial inspiration to me.

On the French connection: I went to Paris with nothing; but France opened its arms and taught me everything on the vision of art. Today I know every bylane of Paris, and have a special relationship with the colours, textures, people as also the beautiful sky at different places in France, explored by many great artists. More than my French passport, I live and breathe the composite culture of art in France, which will always be embedded in my art.

On Gesturism art: Simply put, Gesturism art is a dynamic form which expresses itself through a series of physical, intellectual, mystical motions and movements. We all know that the world manifests itself in gestures; and that gestures create, influence and change our experience of reality.

Given the role of gestures in communicative processes, Gesturism is not restricted to art, but can be extended to product design, photography, cinema and architecture. In my own exhibitions, I actually invite viewers to physically move and rearrange multiple painted canvases within a broader frame. By doing it, I transform the artwork from a static object into a dynamic installation; it may present a single theme but has multiple gestures.