Create, Sustain & Destroy: illustrations

Wednesday, 4 June 2025

"Wisdom Lines" series : a self-reflection

I am not in the right frame of mind to write an article on this series. There are some willing friends who would be glad to write a few words on this topic, but I prefer not to burden anyone. Machine writing 'cremates,' my natural language and dilutes my ideas, and it often uses clichéd language. The intent of this article is to cluster all works in the ongoing series into one place in order to reach potential collectors.

Wisdom Lines, as I call this series, is only a placeholder name. There are about 35 artworks presently. For each drawing, it did not take me more than 2 minutes to complete. I strongly believe that the purity of thought in the mind sparks inspiration in us and leaves us immediately; hence, the more time an artist takes to create art, the less pure and inferior it becomes. This is my personal observation.

My previous exposure to classical Indian sculptures, generic art forms like kalamkari and Tanjore school of paintings,miniatures from the Northern region, and a lot of kitsch that I have seen must have influenced my style or the selection of subjects in creating this original art series.

They are intended to be minimalist drawings. I have eschewed colour, form, shading, modeling, etc. As usual, I have distanced myself from realism, nor have I shown allegiance to decorative elements.

The art of Marc Chagall and Manjit Bawa may likely peek into your brain while you look at this insignificant body of work.

This series is the result of a profound inner urge to create radically original work. This artist knows that there is no pre-existing demand for such pieces. He also knows that the prices for original art pieces are abysmally low. The strategy is not to sell cheaply because I am considered less skillful, nor is it an attempt to implore customers. The real reason is that I want first-time art buyers to acquire my art. Think of me as a subsidized shop that the government provides rations to for the impoverished.

All artworks are miniatures, mostly A5 size, except for a few that are A4. Each artwork is available for sale for 1,500 INR. You may share this article with like-minded people; comments are appreciated. You are free to download the images, print them, and display them in living spaces suitably framed. Reclaim art from AI atrocities. Thank you!

Saturday, 25 January 2025

Jain Tirthankaras-in Modern Art

A Tirthankar is a special teacher in Jainism, a religion from India. Imagine it like a superhero who helps people understand how to live a good and kind life. There are 24 Tihrthankars, and they showed us how to be peaceful, honest, and caring towards others and all living things.

The first Tirthankar is called Rishabhdev, and the last one is called Mahavira. They taught important lessons about being nice, not hurting anyone, and taking care of the environment. Think of them like wise guides who help us make good choices!

Artist's Note:

I have only been slightly exposed to Jain art and architecture through books, especially the pictures of Mount Abu ,Shatrunjaya cluster of temples and few random sculptures which I saw in the Madras museum collection. I remember studying Jain religious canons and about various monuments in my 10th standard text books. In my younger days, I was very fascinated by the Sittanavasal frescoes and I thought that someday I would visit them. I found that these desires were not practical, as they require a lot of money and effort which is unproductive for less successful artists such as myself. I transformed my interest more into modern art, which only requires minimal field study. Another reason for not overindulging in the realm of traditional art is that it is increasingly being viewed as a commodity or decorative object by Indian buyers.

I have never visited any Jain monument or living Jain temple except for the small temple called Thiruparuthikundram also known as Jaina Kanchi which had nice murals, but now spoilt in name of restoration by inexperienced hands.

These quick sketches of tirthankaras are the outcome of a quick, superficial research effort. Had I had the capacity to lay my hands on the great texts, I would have become a lucrative medical professional instead of a struggling artist. Every cloud has a silver lining. At least there are small pockets of people who show us respect for our creativity and expertise

I am privileged to receive valuable inputs from my friend and young research scholar, Mr. Swanand Mahendra Telang, (Maharashtra).I take full accountability for all mistakes and inconsistencies while interpreting the subjects. Under artistic license, a freer and broader approach was taken. No moral munificence, no intellectual inference, and no Google reference are used in this project.

Thank you all for showing interest in this blog. Feedback is greatly appreciated. Should there be any prospective buyer interested in acquiring the complete set, it is available for ₹15,000, which includes domestic shipping. All sketches are done on A5- Canson drawing paper using archival markers and Winsor & Newton watercolours. I refrained from watermarking the images so that friends can use these sketches as they like. Thank you. Jai Jinendra!