JOIN USParesh Maity doesn’t like the world he inhabits to be referred to as an “industry”, so every time the word “art industry” makes its way into a conversation, the artist assertively corrects it to the “art world”.
It’s been 45 years since Maity made art world his home, but the 51-year old artist’s ethos are still rooted in the nondescript town, Tamluk in West Bengal from where he began his artistic voyage. “At the age of eight, I started using watercolour because it was easily available. So, you can say that I grew up with watercolour,” he tells Metrolife.
During his formal years at Government College of Art, Kolkata, and Delhi College of Art, Maity mastered the technique of oil painting, but he never grew out of his fascination for watercolour. “I have had no formal training in watercolour, but it still remains one of my favourite mediums because it is an extremely difficult medium to master,” he says.
Best known for his monumental canvases and sculptures, which are dominated by indigenous motifs and vibrant colour palette, his works exude emotions of joy and celebration, which, Maity says is to reflect positive things of life. “There are enough sorrows in life everywhere, so why to paint them?”
For instance, his 12.5 ft Female and Male sculpture showcases the togetherness of man and woman in a relationship and how they share their joys and sorrows. This work, like others, has ‘eye’ as a recurring motif and the work is dominated by the hues of sunflower yellow andcherry red.
His love for bigger artworks, he says, comes from the challenge they pose to him as an artist. “To handle anything in the bigger format is very difficult and challenging. It is equally difficult to do miniature. But in a bigger space you can get lost in composition. So, I love to bring larger than life things onto canvas,” says the Padma Shri recipient whose works are in the collection at British Museum in London, Rubin Museum, New York, Commonwealth Institute, London, the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi.
Having seen and observed developments in the art world at close counters, Maity says that “contemporary art and artists of our country are being recognised globally”. “One doesn’t have to worry about sales and recognition if his work is good. Any good art will always stay on everyone’s mind. Basically, all comes down to quality and idea,”
he says.
“You don’t have to worry about modernist and post-modernist tag to survive, if it is a good piece of art, it will survive,” he adds.
Just like one of his popular works ‘Mystic Abode’ which is made of brass bells, steel bar and metallic paint, this two ton installation is a representation of meditative house which has a distant connect with artist’s memory. “In our village, women used to tie a bell around their child’s feet so that he doesn’t go far away from their sight. So, I tried to connect that memory with the thought of meditation,” he recollects.
While he enjoys busying himself in paintings and sculptures, Maity admits watercolour will always be his heart and soul.