Haku Shah with Chaitya Dhavi Shah and Dhanvi Rasiklal Shah
DNA after hrs
2010
Photo Courtesy: Piyush Patel
Journalist : Tuli Banerjee
Art reflects one’s own self: Hakubhai Shah
32 paintings done recently by artist Hakubhai Shah are being exhibited at
Marvel Art Gallery from today
Journalist : Tuli Banerjee
“THERE are three separate ways of looking at a reality — the unknown
forces, the reality you see at present and the dreams that you see. And
when you merge all these three forms, you become an artist,” says Hakubhai
Shah, one of the biggest artists of Ahmedabad, who has exhibited his recent
32 paintings at the Marvel Art Gallery. “I believe that art is really your own
mirror,” he explains by using the Urdu phrase, “Aadam khuda nahin, khuda
ke noor mein aadam jinda nahin.” Disputing the old philosophy that says
‘art for art’s sake’, Hakubhai says that he believes that art reflects your own
self and is not merely for art’s sake.
Priced between Rs65,000 and Rs25 lakhs, the paintings draw you
towards the roots of countryside. Says the artist, “My palette consists
of blue, white, green and a lot of ochres and I use these colours because
green reflects the trees, blue reflects the sky, ochre the mud walls while white
provides peace to your eyes. Apart from the paintings, limited edition portfolio
drawings of Hakubhai Shah are also available at the gallery. The exhibition
is on till February 10.
Hakubhai says, “I love painting human figures and nature. Both of them attract
me a lot.”
The renowned painter of humanistic tradition is well known for his works on tribal art
and folk culture. “People call me a tribal art lover or a folk specialist painter, but I am
much more than that. And frankly I do not care what people call me,” says the MSU
graduate, who has taught briefly at Gandhi Ashram and NID.
His subjects are of simplest things on earth, especially the living beings. However,
you may also find him painting on philosophical poetry as well as great men like
Gandhiji. You may find his paintings to be childlike simple at the first glance, but when
you listen to his description of the same painting, you wonder whether you actually
understand art work at all.
