Art Invents Reality: Bappa Bhowmick’s Anecdote on Reality

Once George Orwell said,

“Reality exists in the human mind and nowhere else”.

The entire universe flows with its chronicle and that’s how society builds up. In our environment, everything exists from our perspective.
Bhowmick, the eminent artist focuses light on the human condition through his detailed and evocative sketches and illustrations. His works offer insights into social complexities, existential crises of individuals, the realm of politics, social propaganda, etc. He illustrates the equation of social relationships and other emotions.

Human Psyche & Bappa’s Work

Human beings are the most interesting creature in this Universe. Their journey from staying in caves with deadly animals to becoming the most intelligent creature in the animal sphere is truly commendable.

Their evolutionary stages are also different from others. As we know every coin has its two sides, and it’s also applicable to human beings. Every person has two sides one is the social side and another one is the inner side. It serves as a representation of its creator’s social and religious standards, it indicates cultural values, and above all: it symbolizes absolute beauty.
In our subconscious mind, these two sides always conflict with each other. Where our social side is captivated by age-old societal norms, on another side our inner side
forces us to be individual in all possible ways. This entire introspection has immortalized by Bappa’s sketches. His practice is concerned with the investigation of the human form, and how the manipulation of such forms can communicate to the audience the human psyche. As well as the effects of current social and political issues on an individual, and the ways in which humans interact with one another. It provides opportunities to reflect on society and the issues that are important to us and the world. It is part of a cultural dialogue that concerns larger contextual frameworks such as identity, family, community, and nationality.
He has presented the brutal thoughts and inner side of human beings in the most artistic and simplest illustrations. He focuses on the conflicts of two sides and makes it a very natural trait of every individual.

Mythology in Bappa Bhowmick’s Works

The word ‘mythology’ is substantial; it denotes the experience of generations, popular amongst people or society in the form of legends or folklore which is generally transferred from one generation to another on the bases of the recitation of stories. However, the ethics behind all kinds of mythological narration are always filled with moral values and direct humankind toward the ‘truth.
Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Sanskrit texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana, the Puranas, and myths specific to a particular ethnolinguistic group.

The societal norms we follow, of them, are curated from Indian mythology and some from western influence. We can’t imagine any mythological character in a very simplified way, cause mythology comes with some fear and foggy concepts. But Bappa Bhowmick has broken this notion through his simple but significant sketches. He recreates such mythological characters as individuals. In Bappa’s introspection, they also have desires, lusts, and wishes to be free like us. His sketches reframe their sociological presence.

Intimacy in Bappa’s Works

Pablo Picasso once said sexuality and art are the same things.
What is intimacy? Is it Love? Sex? Sometimes, but It is not only those things. It can be expressed in many ways, and the visual arts are the perfect window to reveal [the] intimacy in contemporary society. Through art, it is possible to both analyze and gain a better understanding of this complex concept. Another magical spectrum of Bappa’s works is the presence of eroticism. Erotic art is a broad field of the visual arts that includes any artistic work intended to evoke erotic arousal. It usually depicts human nudity or sexual activity Intimacy is an art of mystery. It’s a spiritual connection between two souls. He blends human- lust and tenderness and gives us another disclosure of intimacy. His artworks speak against the social taboos regarding eroticism. He brings out the inner art of conjugation and celebrates its purity in his artworks with vibrant colors. This thesis doesn’t constrict only to humans but also includes other living objects like insects and animals.

Insect symbols can hold great importance within societies, offering clear and powerful visual representations of ideas. Insects have symbolized many qualities, including change, industry, royalty, social harmony, might, pestilence, disease, death, etc. Insects play another vital role in Bappa’s sketches. In his introspection, insects and other animals are similar to human beings. He exemplifies wisdom, fertility, meticulousness, prudence, pureness, and chastity in his sketches on insects.

Styles & Techniques

Bhowmick, the eminent artist basically works on social taboos, realm, and other social facts. His illustration brings out the complexion of simple things and provides another introspection of basic societal phenomena.
An illustration is a visualization or a depiction made by an artist, such as a drawing, sketch, painting, photograph, or another kind of image of things seen, remembered, or imagined, using a graphical representation.
He prefers the linear method of creating artwork. Basic color and a minimalistic approach to heavy thoughts are his own style of curating his form. His artworks are free-flowing and calm but at the same time enriched with a complex psyche.

Relevance

Bhowmick’s contemporary art is the art of today, produced by artists who are living in our time. It provides opportunities to reflect on society and the issues that are important to us and the world. It is part of a cultural dialogue that concerns larger contextual frameworks such as identity, family, community, and nationality