From the Vivid Impressions series by artist MR Deshmukh
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
It is challenging to write about a reticent soul and a modest one at that. “I don’t think there is anything special in what I have done; there are far greater artists than me,” says MR Deshmukh.
“Besides, I feel my paintings convey whatever I want to say. Painting is a language in which form and colour speak to viewers. There is not much I can add to that.”
And yes, that is true; Deshmukh’s body of work speaks for itself. At 80, the artist from Kolhapur, is exhibiting as many as 30 of his works in Bengaluru — almost all of which were executed over the past two years, an impressive feat in itself.
Artist MR Deshmukh
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Vibrant, yet muted, patches of colour bring to mind once-remembered memories or scenes from long-forgotten travels. Vivid Impressions hosts both landscapes and figures in its collection. While some of the landscapes show glimpses of India as seen from a railway carriage, some are of quiet avenues, perhaps as seen by someone sitting in a café leisurely watching the world go by.
Still others are of women captured in various everyday scenes — sewing, at rest, with an infant, toiling in the fields, catching up with each other, balancing a load on their heads — the quintessential Indian woman. Most fascinating of all, at least for me, were the canvases with little birds on or outside a window sill, the kind you see in dreams of childhood where the grass is a bright green and the wide open skies are full of sunshine.
From the Vivid Impressions series by artist MR Deshmukh
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Inspired by beauty, whether in Nature or of the feminine, Deshmukh’s artistic journey began in Satara, Maharashtra, his birthplace. “I spent my schooldays wandering between the Krishna and Koyna rivers, and later came to Kolhapur for my college education. Memories of the natural beauty I revelled in during those days are reflected in my work to a great extent.”
Deshmukh says while Nature inspires everyone, he was also blessed to be influenced by the treasures housed in the Shri Bhavani Museum in Satara, which he often frequented. The museum founded in 1938 by Shri Bhawanrao Pantapratinidhi, the last ruler of Aundh, has a wonderful collection of Indian and Western masters, which left a deep impression on the artist as a young man.
From the Vivid Impressions series by artist MR Deshmukh
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Deshmukh says he honed his “artistic language by visiting museums and galleries, reading books, and learning in art school — much like how human communication is refined by meeting different people and attending social gatherings.”
Mentored by master painter and sculptor Ravindra Mistry, Deshmukh who studied art at Kalaniketan Mahavidyalay in Kolhapur, says his heroes from the art world include SH Raza, Baburao Sadwelkar, Alfred Sisley, Claude Monet and Rodin.
Executed using oils on paper and canvas, Vivid Impressions by MR Deshmukh is presented by Artenblu and will be on display at MKF Museum of Art till June 29, 2024.