Published On:Saturday, 25 October 2014
Posted by Celebrate Life Style information Blog
Devoted to painting
 |
| Lok Chitrakar |
Chitrakar has been working with
the Kanzouin Museum in Tokyo for the past 12 years which already has 30 of his
paintings, and soon will be adding 32 more to complete a series that will
ultimately have 108 paintings from Kathmandu.
Lok Chitrakar was working on a
mandala for a Japanese client in 2000, and had to learn Japanese techniques to
complete it. For this he got in touch with a Japanese friend who showed his
work to people in the art scene there. There was no looking back, the Japanese
were hooked.
Paubhas were first taken from
Kathmandu Valley to Tibet in the 8th century when Bhrikuti was married to king
Sron Tsan Gampo. She took paubha artists with her to Tibet, and this style
later evolved into the thangka, which is distinguishable by newer Chinese
styles. Thangkas depict Buddhist subjects or even deities from the pre-Buddhist
Bon faith, while paubhas contain Hindu and Buddhist deities, reflecting the
ancient symbiosis of Hinduism and Buddhism in Kathmandu Valley.
Some of the Paubhas that will go
to the Kanzouin Museum in Tokyo were on a brief farewell display at Yala Maya
Kendra from 26-29 September. “I like to show my work to the Nepali public
before sending them abroad,” Chitrakar says of the paintings that will be
shipped out later this month.
Six pictures in the Yala Maya
Kendra’s exhibition were from private collections, like the striking Green Tara
and Ganesh. Artist Ashmina Ranjit, who was at the exhibition said she has
always been mesmerised by Lok Chitrakar’s work. “His paintings can put us in
kind of a meditative state,” she said.
Given how intricate the paintings
are, Lok Chitrakar is often asked how long it takes to complete one painting.
“I never count the days, otherwise I’ll be discouraged,” Chitrakar replies laconially.
“I just write the date on which I finish the work at the bottom.”
Lok Chitrakar paintings 3
Paubhas are a visual
representation of religious philosophy, and always feature a central deity with
moral and spiritual significance. The background and the details are up to the
artist, but for the deity there are strict standards: body postures, facial
expressions, skin complexions and hand gestures all carry important symbolism,
developed over many centuries.
The deity’s eyes are always
painted last. Chitrakar makes his own paint with crushed stones and vegetable
dyes such as indigo, sometimes mixing silver and gold dust.
Lok Chitrakar is now used to
international acclaim at various exhibitions he has been asked to put up at
Harvard University or the Historical Museum of Shiga, Japan. When asked if he
is proud to represent Nepal’s original Buddhist art form to the international
public, Chitrakar answers simply: “I’m just proud to be an artist.” - Nepali Times.
