The medieval folkloric genre was slowly taken over by mass-produced posters of Raja Ravi Varma’s larger-than-life oil paintings which were distant from the flat miniature Rajput paintings.
Nonetheless, recalling the same bardic style are the paintings hanging at the Imago Dei Gallery at Nag Pokhari in Kathmandu. Entitled “Geet Govinda, Love in Colors” the ongoing exhibition is Nepali artist Chirag Bangdel’s 15th solo exhibition. A crowd of eager art lovers and well wishers attended the opening of Bangdel’s exhibition on the evening of Sunday, November 22. Clearly, the popularity of this multi-talented teacher, RJ, artist, writer and poet needs no further elaboration.
“There’s so much violence painted in our society today and I wanted to work on something beautiful and something to do with love,” expresses Bangdel, talking about the subject of the paintings. Geet Govinda is the 12th century epic by poet Jayadeva on the love and relationship between Lord Krishna and Radha, a gopini (cow herder).
“One of my favorite works is a series done by my grandfather Lain Singh Bangdel on Muna and Madan which is one reason why I chose to work on the Geet Govinda,” he states. “I created this group of work to act as a catalyst for the senses,” he summarizes.
A figurative painter inspired by minimalism, Bangdel’s acrylic paintings appear flat like Rajput paintings, but aren’t miniatures. His palette is dominated by vibrant reds, greens, and blues that indeed stimulate the sense of vision. Similar to Nepal’s Mithila paintings, Bangdel’s figures are always in profile, i.e., facing one side. Their eyes, on the other hand, aren’t big and wide but slim and wavy as in Buddhist paintings.
“I’ve taken a lot from traditional Nepali works of arts,” he shares, pointing out at the sparse tiny curly shapes that represent clouds in one of the paintings.
“This is the first time I’ve introduced a male figure in my works, and also the first time in many years that I’ve moved away from working on a square canvas,” the artist reveals and continues, “Sometimes, I doodle for hours before deciding on what I want to paint, and sometimes, everything comes together instantly.”
The strongest works in this group are Bangdel’s images void of landscapes, and where the figures of Radha and Krishna, enraptured in love, dominate the surface of the canvas against a rich red background. It takes a while to notice that his figures don’t even have any limbs but it doesn’t really bother the viewer even after the acknowledgement. Moving from one painting to another, the audience is engaged in a rhythmic dance along with Radha and Krishna as they shift into various compositions, from lying on the grass to flying in the air.
“I am into naïve art,” states Bangel, who is inspired by French post-Impressionist painter Henri Rousseau. The genre of Naïve Art consists of works that appear childlike in terms of technique. They give an illusion that the artist doesn’t know how to paint.
What Manjul, a prominent Nepali poet, has to say about Bangdel in essence summarizes the group of works in his current exhibition: “When Chirag paints, he’s a poet, and when he writes poetry, he’s a painter.” The versatile 38-year-old artist’s first international collection of short stories and haikus, ‘Mist Around the Stupa’ was published earlier this year.
“The life of an artist is different, and it’s not just about the act of painting, like most people think,” puts in the self-taught artist, shifting the conversation. Sitting comfortably on the leather couches of Imago Dei Café on a quiet Wednesday morning, he concludes with a satisfied smile, “We see life in a totally different perspective, and that’s what I enjoy most about being an artist.”
Geet Govinda, Love in Colors will remain open at the Imago Dei Gallery in Nag Pokhara till December 3.
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