It is often said that an artist is at their best when painting landscapes. This was undoubtedly true of artist Pabitra Saha, whose recent solo exhibition of 18 landscapes of Indian contemporary art in the Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata, was met with resounding success. Saha’s solo exhibition showcased his mastery of the genre, with each painting more beautiful than the last. The artist has a unique approach to his work, which is evident in the way he captures the beauty of the landscapes he paints. His use of color and light are particularly striking and create an ethereal quality.
The exhibition was inaugurated by eminent artist Professor Sohini Dhar, Professor Paula Sengupta, and celebrated artist Mihir Kayal. The event was graced by many art lovers and collectors, who came to admire Saha’s work.
All of the displayed paintings were untitled, so there is equality over the names, which is the starting point of Pabitra Saha’s philosophical landscapes.
The cover painting starts with a boundary of a Rajasthan fort where the walls guard the secret garden inside the fort. With your imagination, you can slowly cross the high walls, like a flying bird, to see the lotus blooming in a dark blue pond.
As you move in, you can fly to the secret beach with a sense of civilization guarded by high mountains. However, no mountain or wall can stop you from witnessing the world beyond imagination, as Saha’s works are viewed from an eagle’s eye.
The other one, the one I admire the most, is an infinite river. At first sight, you will only see a vast blue space. As you look closer, you can find different shades of blues, greens, and whites in Saha’s brushstrokes. The colors constantly change with golden patches, like cities, made with desires and dreams, all coming from a single thread where humans are trapped forever and fail to see the vast blue world.
Pabitra Saha’s exhibition celebrated his talent and reminded us of the power of art that transports us to other worlds. You can see the boats with a broken harbor where blue water makes the silence it demands. The lotus blooms, and a harbor bird is overlooking the leftovers of the relatives of a dead person. The silence becomes eternal.
Then the boats looking like kites over blue water come together as our childhood memories visit us on rainy days. We made the boats out of used paper. Those vivid memories paint boats with colors that we never had. But boats are penned in still waters, like our lives. Saha’s paintings take us on a journey of self-discovery and remind us of the beauty we left behind.
The painting with blues repeats itself so that something will stick in the viewer’s mind. From the boats with broken harbors, the blooming lotus, the highly guarded walls, or uncrossable mountains, Pabitra Saha’s paintings travel towards social realism. Saha, as a traveler, changes his works according to the routes he followed in the past. There is a painting with high buildings, where eagles dare, only get the light, and the rest of society remains in darkness. The shades of darkness change as we go deeper into the societal structure. The temple and kings get the lights, and darkness looms over who builds the civilization. This is like the story of the painter’s life. The lights fall over the painting and not on the one who creates it.
One red monochrome painting is a beautiful farmer’s house. It is a top view of the story of our past. The painting tells the story of how our ancestors lived with their families and lands. It is a reminder of the peace and calm that can be found in nature, and it is a reminder that we are all connected to the land. We forgot the stories they have told, the stories they laughed together while working in the farmlands overlooking the sunset of the equal society.
As I came out of the exhibition hall, it made me wonder, in which world the artist Pabitra Saha is living? Does he stay outside the guarded walls or the unclimbable mountains? Or into dark silent blues where lotus blooms in serenity? Does he live in the present or the vivid memories of our leftover childhoods? The questions linger, the lights illuminate the paintings, and the artist starts another painting as night looms.
Interested in Pabitra Saha’s paintings? You can collect one here.
