"Do Bark & Bite…"
THE ARTIST, THE PERSON – UMESH VARMA
SAS (south Delhi) GAZZETTE - 2nd October 1997

#1704, Samatva II (....... Stage III), Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 72 inches, 2011

The year 1935 A.D. saw a journey start... a journey that was to continue for the next 62 years... and is still continuing. A journey that has encompassed in its flowing stream the search for the elusive meaning of creativity, the proper perspectives for art and society and everyday living, if such perspectives do exist. This journey that started in 1935 was of someone in whose body art flows along with his bloodstream and finds expression in the medium of painting... this someone is Umesh Varma, a name to be reckoned with, in the history of modern Indian painting.

“As a child, “ says Umesh Varma,” I probably did not know what painting was. When I was about 10 years old, I was the darling of the drawing teacher as I was good in diagrams, sketches of people etc.” At an early age, this future artist understood that the art that was in his blood could also earn his bread and butter. While still a student, he was associated with illustrating the research works of his teachers and thereby earning his keep.

#2112, Buddha - The Word, Acrylic on canvas, 42 x 36 inches, 2001

The journey of this artist has been rather chequered. In 1954, he passed his intermediate with a distinction in physics. With this scientific aptitude, Umesh Varma was planning to become an air man. This dream seemed real and approachable when he topped the test cum interview in the military controlled Manauri Airport. Destiny had other things in store for him however... the problem of elephantisis which had plagued him in the past required a thorough medical check up to be done in Allahabad-resultantly, he reached Manaury later than the appointed time and lost the job to another candidate...

Disappointed but not dispirited, he enrolled in the B.Sc. degree course of the University Of Allahabad, his subjects being Zoology, Botany and Chemistry. It was here that art came to his rescue again. He became associated with illustrating scientific books written by doctors and published by text book publishers. He would make detailed diagrams of dissections, which he feels, helped him sketch human anatomy later. He graduated in 1957, by which time he had made more than 1000 illustrations.

In 1957, he was admitted to King George’s College, Lucknow as an MBBS student... he stayed there for a few weeks. On being asked why he left, he says, “I was very disillusioned. I found it all very futile... I have always believed that what educates you is your teacher. If you cannot respect your teacher, then well... While dissecting, I found that students would not respect the dead body whereas at that point, that body was the best teacher... so I left...”

The year 1958 saw him move to Delhi, and that is when art, so far relegated to the back spaces of life, came centre stage. During 1958-63, he completed the National Diploma in Fine Arts from the Art Department, Delhi Polytechnic, subsequent to which he worked as a handicrafts designer with the Design Development centre, Delhi for six months in 1963-64. 1964 also saw him course uncharted waters by winning the Japanese Govt. Mombusha Research Fellowship for folk techniques of ceramics for 2 years. The artist in Umesh Varma was slowly but steadily coming to the fore and climbing the ladder that would take him to heights of success.

His return from Japan saw him plunge into the national art world in earnest. Group Expositions and one man shows followed each other in India and abroad – taking with them the artist on a voyage of self-discovery and inner growth.

#2113, Ganesh, Acrylic on canvas, 30 x 36 inches, 2001

Knowledge is something that desiccates if kept to oneself-we all know that-but, perhaps, Umesh Varma understood it better and channelized his technical know-how and artistic energies into teaching. He was a Visiting Lecturer with the Delhi College of Art for about 5 years in the seventies. The unquenched thirst for art, led him to discover in himself hidden corners-he found that he could not only paint, but make prints, graphic designs, write poetry, educate people and do art criticisms. Today, he does all of those things... After being an active, serious painter for nearly 40 years, when asked to comment about the state of art now, he says, “People are more conscious about art as an aesthetic now. Earlier, people were worried about their bread. Where did they have the time to indulge in artistic pursuits? But today, people have the money, therefore the time, to look at and appreciate works of art.”

But what about folk arts?
“Ah, yes,” “he says,” folk arts have always been there and always will be but they are a way of living. If a Madhubani artist expresses herself in painting a bridal room it is a part of a ritual that forms a part of her daily life... It is something to be done because it has always been done. It is not the same as with a modern painting, which is a separate study in itself, to be appreciated on its own without a connection to any other facet of life.”

On the current trends in art in modern Indian cities, where art is now considered the in-thing, he says, “It is good. Let us say, to each his own kind of art. I do not condemn, what you might call “ice-cream parlour galleries,” because, if a businessman appreciates a pretty picture with flowers and leaves, well, than that’s what he likes. There does not have to be a deeper meaning to everything. Moreover, he is at least appreciating something of artistic value. His walls, even if covered with calendar art, are better covered than left bare! You see, art is a very personal thing……”

#2127, Mynah, Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 78 inches, 2006

When asked about how art has helped him in his life and how he has grown, he says, “When I was young, it helped me organise my notes in school. They were always well illustrated and beautifully presented and now after all these years...,” he smiles and recites.
With a twinkle in his eyes, he says, “In my work, I have learnt to bark and to bite...”

"It's best to be mad
Get mad
And
Don't get mad
Open up your vocal cards
Tune the strings and the drums
Just bark and bite……
With all your might
Don't associate yourself
With
The VIPs
Just identify the VOPs
Do commit a printer's devil
You may get some meaning evil
Please
Do bark and bite……"

AuraArt.in 2014 © Copyright | All Rights Reserved.

Home     | Artists