Some individuals believe Kolkata to be a filthy, loud, and boring city. But according to artist Avanish Trivedi, it has something unique because both the modern and the old elements are colorful and energetic.
Kolkata is Trivedi’s favorite city since it is rich in memories and stories. In his watercolor paintings, he strives to convey these emotions.
In the background of the 37-year-old artist’s most recent works are idle rickshaw pullers, political graffiti on walls in a byway, crowded streets with people, crows, and trams, and the Durga puja of Kolkata, which has been designated as a “intangible cultural heritage of humanity” by UNESCO.
“I didn’t experience this mood in Varanasi, Mumbai, or Delhi. I made an effort, but yet as an artist, I was never drawn to those cities. It seems like every frame in Calcutta is waiting to be painted because of its attractiveness and charm, he told PTI.
Trivedi enjoys painting rickshaws and trams because they remind him of his boyhood in Kolkata.
The Communist Party of India (CPI(M)sickle, )’s hammer, and star symbol, a common graffiti design in West Bengal in the past, was painted on many of the house walls Trivedi depicted in his artwork. In 2011, the party lost control of the state. Trivedi claimed he is not politically inclined, but those images remind him of his youth.
Perhaps two decades ago, the city’s symbols included trams, hand-pulled rickshaws, and CPI(M) logos. Is the artist a retroactive person? I am a person who lives in the past, if you ask me. I always find the old school appealing. Scenes and values are evolving quickly. After around a hundred years, a photograph is lost. But the Mona Lisa has survived for centuries,” he remarked.
Despite the fact that a different woman has recently started to show in several of Trivedi’s paintings, many people still believe the woman in Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” remains a mystery. Like the woman in the painting, she appears to be a mysterious figure even if no one knows who she is.
Trivedi began painting seriously when he was older, and he will hold his second show in New York City early in the following year. For the past few years, he has been producing desk calendars with his interpretation of Kolkata’s streets; some of them have even been sold.
Trivedi used to visit art galleries when he was a teenager, but he no longer does so because he worries about being influenced by the pieces of art there.
While many young children enjoy imitating the characters from popular animated programmes, for him, it was a means to develop an interest in art. He later decided to pursue a profession in art after realizing how fascinated he was by this environment. His paintings also come in different forms, like acrylic.
Trivedi is incredibly appreciative of his employers for allowing him the freedom to follow his passion for painting, but he is considering leaving his job shortly in order to pursue it full-time.
