Of Creative Parternships

HYDERABAD: When Hyderabad opens its doors to visiting artists, it is always a delight, a curiosity to see new visuals, styles, forms and ideas. In the midst of figurative practices, a new visual language spreads a fresh vista for the viewers’ eyes. ‘Master Strokes’, a two-person show at Hitex, Madhapur, unveil to the people of the city a new gallery: Gallery 78 is conceived to showcase photography, art, installation art, performances, talks and workshops.

The participating artists: Tapas Kanti Mitra and Tapati Mitra share a long creative partnership. Although they share a relationship their practices are highly distinct and hugely significant to their audience. In fact, they have retained their individualities for over a period of thirty years. While Tapati Mitra creates an abstract matrix infusing her memories and experiences, Tapas Kanti Mitra, on the other hand, showcases to the spectator the classical executions of transparent watercolours techniques. 

While surveying the 15 works on display by Tapati Mitra the spectator is face-to-face with an array of glowing works. The golden and yellow schemes in acrylic on paper are usually merged with cool blues and darker patches of browns and blackish-greys. These fields are overlapped by linear drawings as an afterthought. Although casual and spontaneous they highlight the artist’s memory of her journey through the temple town of Varanasi in 2012. Curator of the show, Koeli Mukherjee writes:
“…recalling verses from the Upanishad, re-reading symbolism with information. The people around her, pilgrims, wanderers, urchins find their place in rushes and waves, depicted by quick energetic brush lines that are calligraphic and yet, writes her mind-forms.” 

Although an abstract artwork greets the viewer, the spectator is reassured of the process of life by looking closer at the temple top, Lingam, the ghats and alleys, people and other forms “achieved by urgent brushstrokes”. Says Tapati Mitra: “The essence of my work is deep-rooted in spirituality. ”
While Tapati offers personal memories, Tapas Kanti Mitra transport the viewer into grandeur of landscapes. The transparent watercolour techniques build an absolutely divine visual that cannot be overlooked by any type of audience. Whether one understands the finer aspects or techniques of watercolours the medium offers singular joy to the eye which cannot be misplaced.

And, if the artist is a veteran like Tapas Mitra who has been practising this medium for three decades he is certainly a maestro whose work sparkles and radiates the splendours of nature. Well versed in the Papier Seico and Papier Buno techniques of watercolour tradition, the artist displays a complete control over this effervescent medium. Although an ancient medium, watercolours were practised fervently in the Eastern parts of Asia. In Europe, the German natural artist used this medium to the hilt during the Renaissance period.  Although, new media like acrylics and other materials have dominated contemporary practices watercolours will always remain not just classical but spiritual.

The mastery of strokes by Tapas is a fine example of how the artist plays with colours and the white of the paper which combines translucence and subtle washes. At times exploiting the wet on wet and sometimes controlling the dry on wet. The 22 paintings reflect the purity of the medium and establish the artist as a grandmaster. Says Tapas Mitra: “My work, even if accomplished out of doors is not about copying nature, rather I consciously choose my palate and style of brushing in relation to my own emotional response to that particular time and space.” The works of both artists are in prestigious collections across India and overseas. The show concludes on December 18