An Ode to Mario

Miranda’s works blur the line between caricature and painting. “I have seen him traverse to his idiosyncratic style(s) over the years through his cartoons,which appeared in the papers everyday,” says Murli Lahoti,a veteran artist from the city who was present at the exhibition. “Mario has an astute sense of painting and perspective. Also,black-and-white art is strenuous. I have seen his original works and his command over lines is astounding; such mastery over lines is hard to achieve,” says Lahoti.

Raosaheb Gurav,another prominent artist from the city,highlights the variety of lines in Miranda’s works. “He plays with a variety of lines and produces works with excellent tonal value,which is imperative in black and white drawing,” says Gurav.

The exhibition’s curator,Gerard de Cunha,was immersed in Miranda’s works when he was approached by the artist to work on a book based on his art. “Mario was,at that time,in a financial mess. He approached me to work on his book and in a way,the gallery was set up to support him,” says de Cunha,adding,“But the collaboration yielded eight books and merchandise,which propagate his works and make sure he is not forgotten. So,if Mario wasn’t in need,none of this would have happened.” De Cunha also runs Goa-based Mario Gallery,established in 2005,which facilitated the exhibition at Ayatana.

De Cunha says he has been thinking about Miranda for the past eight years. “Every situation that comes up in my life,I have seen it in one of his cartoons and I say to myself: ‘Ah! This is how Mario would have reacted to this situation’. It has made me more humorous,” he says. “But he never made fun of people; he just looked at them in a funny way,” he adds.

While cataloguing Miranda’s works,de Cunha noticed how the artist worked on a theme and revisited it after several years. “Take,for example,the Bombay bus conductor. He is strict,rude and firm. So I collected all the cartoons Miranda had done on the subject for over 20 years and put them in a chapter of the book,” says de Cunha,adding that Miranda had a photographic memory.

It is doubtful that there is any facet of human life which hasn’t been Miranda’s subject. “I attended an all-India dental conference and somebody asked me: ‘Did Mario do any cartoons on dentists?’ I said: ‘Yeah,how many do you want?’,” recalls de Cunha.

“Worlds of Mario” is on at Ayatana Art Gallery till December 7