Artist who recreates Kolkata streets in vibrant colours on canvas

Kolkata is perceived by many as a polluted, cacophonous and dull metropolis. But, from his 2-BHK flat here, artist Avanish Trivedi brings out canvases bearing a vibrant, radiant and lively city, which, according to him, is new and old at the same time.

To Trivedi, whose ancestors came from Gujarat to the ‘second city’ of the British Empire around 150 years ago, Kolkata has emotion and stories to tell and it is those that he tries to replicate in watercolour.

The works of the 37-year-old artist feature idle rickshaw pullers in the background of walls with political graffiti in a bylane, busy roads full of people, crows and trams, and the Durga puja of Kolkata which was accorded UNESCO’s ‘intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

“I did not get this vibe in Delhi, Mumbai or Varanasi. I tried, but somehow, those cities never appealed to me as an artist. The charm that Calcutta has, the appeal that Calcutta has… it’s like every frame is ready to be painted,” he told PTI.

Trams – which probably exist now in Kolkata only in entire Asia - and hand-pulled rickshaws are Trivedi’s favourite subjects on canvas as they take him back to his childhood.

“Trams used to take me to school and back home. I travelled to relatives’ places in trams. I travelled short distances in rickshaws. I used to roam around a lot in lanes and bylanes. That I actually still do,” he said pointing to a picture of a small musical instrument shop that he found in a gully in the Dalhousie area, the city’s central business district.

Many of the walls of houses that he drew bore the sickle, hammer and star symbol of the CPI(M), a ubiquitous graffiti of yesteryears West Bengal. The party lost power in the state in 2011. Trivedi said he is not a political person but those symbols take him back to his childhood days.

Trams, hand-pulled rickshaws and CPI(M) logos were symbols of the city may be two decades ago. Does the artist dwell in the past?

“Well, if you ask me, I am a person who lives in the past. The old school always appeals to me. Values and scenes are changing fast. A photograph is lost after a hundred years or so. But Mona Lisa is still there after hundreds of years,” he said.

As the real identity of the woman in Leonardo da Vinci’s creation is shrouded in mystery even after 600 years, another mysterious lady appears in many of Trivedi’s latest cityscapes.

The woman, who Trivedi describes as his muse, is in her 20s and sports a tattoo on her back. Her crimson blouse and red-bordered white sari are accentuated by her black thick high heels. The face of the modern woman in typically Bengali costume is always covered by her wavy hair.

“Calcutta girls are bold and independent. Those who see my works quickly identify with her,” smiled the artist whose muse can be seen alone or with a male companion on canvases recreating iconic places such as College Street bookshops or Park Street restaurants. And here, one can watch the new Kolkata.

Trivedi, who is preparing for his second exhibition in New York next year, took up paints and brushes seriously at a mature age. He brings out desk calendars featuring his version of Kolkata roads for the past few years, most of them are given as gifts and a few are sold.

When he was a teenager, Trivedi met Maqbool Fida Husain at an art gallery in Kolkata. But now, he does not like visiting art galleries for fear of getting influenced by the works of others.

Like many other children, he used to copy popular animation series characters. He got seriously interested in the world of art much later and got himself admitted to an academy here.

Though watercolour is his favourite medium, some of his works are in acrylic.

An employee of a top-level IT firm, Trivedi is thankful to his employers as they have given him the freedom to pursue his passion. However, he is thinking of quitting the job and becoming a full-time artist in near future.

“By the grace of God, I ship on an average 10/12 pictures abroad in a month. When I have more time to devote, I hope that number will go up,” he said.