Passion de l’art

“I entered my work into the competition in 2009. The paintings were selected and then I had an interview round with eminent artists like Prabhakar Kolte,Amitava Das and D L N Reddy. Once I cleared that,I became one of the eight winners from across the country to be a part of Camlin’s Eurotour 2010,” says a smiling Shirsat. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Bharati Vidyapeeth,and is currently pursuing his Masters in the same field. “My father was an art teacher thus I too took up arts to follow in his footsteps. As I learnt more,I realised there’s so much freedom in this field to express your feelings and creativity. Now my ultimate goal is to keep painting and exhibiting my works,” he says.

The Eurotour,which took him to Paris,Rome,Florence and Venice,has left a deep impression on his mind. “Our trip extended from July 12-24. We spent the first five days in Paris,visiting the Pompidou Center,Rodin Museum,the Louvre and Orsay Museum. The art here is awe-inspiring. While most of Paris has heritage buildings and classic art,the Pompidou Center is made like a factory. Contemporary art works are displayed inside,” he describes,adding,“At the Rodin Museum,I got to see the famous sculpture – The Thinker. Though I’m not into that art form,it did interest me a lot. We even visited Mont Martre where Picasso had stayed and worked. Now there are different artists who work at the studio here.” In Rome,they visited the Vatican City and Sistine Chapel. “Michelangelo’s work is so realistic. It instills so much confidence in you to experiment and try new things,” he says.

While he describes Venice as breathtakingly beautiful,he also speaks with awe about Michelangelo’s David sculpture in Florence. “The perfection of the human body is captured in the sculpture. Even the veins are so realistically depicted that I felt as though the sculpture’s arm would move any second!” he exclaims.

As he delves into details of the 10-day trip,one can’t miss that hint of hope sparkling in his eyes. He says,“I wish art was as appreciated by the common people in India too. In Europe,you find artists and musicians on the streets. While in India,there are lines outside cinema halls,in Paris,people line up and stand for hours in the sun to enter a museum. At the Orsay Museum in Paris,I saw so many school children,divided in groups of 10,sitting in front of different paintings and taking in the art. Then,discussions and question-answer sessions ensued between them and their teachers. Art is ingrained in them right from an early age. We too should do the same here.”

Till now,Shirsat’s focus has been on self-portraits,but the trip has opened his mind to more contemporary mediums. “I mostly use oil paints on canvas,but also work with graphics and paperwork. European art is more liberal in way of mediums,colours and subjects. I would like to do abstracts but there’s still a lot to learn,” he says. He has previously been to Europe through an art gallery in Pune. “We reflected so much on art and this trip has added to all that I saw and learnt. It is my ultimate dream to have my paintings exhibited at the Pompidou Center in Paris,one day,” he smiles.