RETHINKING (A delight of Rasa and Leela)

Rethinking is an ongoing series of works by Nikunja Das, wherein his work as an artist has reached a pinnacle of aesthetics in a long and continuous body of work; for years his work has been characterised by bold lines and sparkling colours and richly decorated human and divine forms, so distinct of the traditional method of representation of the pantheon of Gods and Goddesses who adorn the Indian mindscape. For the last two decades and a half, lovers of art in India are familiar with the work of Nikunja Babu, and there is a general consensus in the art loving fraternity that the work of the artist represents both the spoken form of beauty and the unspoken form of lyrical grace. It is abundantly apparent that there is the form of “Rasa” in the Artist’s thought and action and the grand exhibition of “Leela” of the Lord in the presentation of the works of art.

Nikunja Babu belongs to Odisha, the magical mythical land where vibrant and effervescent colours celebrate every aspect of life, and where the Gods are treated as members of an extended family of mankind. The fairs and festivals that fill the beautiful pristine land are all so evident in the work of the artist. Therefore there can be no gainsaying that the elements of the folk art are as conspicuously visible in the work of the artist, being a true son of the soil, as the fused elements of modern art. In his work therefore are visible the primeval elements of folk colours in the mythological narratives, moderated by the shades of minimal natural foliage in the backdrop. In essence each of his work exhibits the true lyrical form of the Indian tradition of “rasa”. The entire work appears to be devised in the form of a story, either in full or in part, and speaks directly to the viewer. Yes, it does appear to the viewer that the artist is rethinking a story in a more beautiful and subtly different way, and the viewer therefore is also gently goaded and provoked to rethink the story in a different perspective. In his work, there are no distracting landscapes, no provocative perspective views or for that matter any other distant views. The presentation is eye-to-eye, direct and overt; in summary, a simple story with an explicit beautiful picture.