Master Master

quot;He ensured that I got exhaustive exposure to painting in every medium 8211; crayons, chalk, pastels, watercolours8230; By the time I was 16, I had begun to conduct classes at the Sevasadan, where I was appointed as master of method. I was supposed to instruct teachers on how to teach fine arts!8221; he smiles.

Another of his guru8217;s lessons was to stand Dengle in good stead throughout his life. 8220;He told me that a guru could only guide 8211; he could not teach. Each artist would have to discover his own creativity and freedom,8221; he says.

It was in search of this creativity that Dengle started to dabble in other aspects of fine arts 8211; painting, his pet hobby, sculpture, clay modelling. But it was not enough to practise the fine arts, Dengle felt the need to teach art. In 1952, Dengle, along with his art teachers Patil and Narayanrao Purab, started the Bharatiya Prasarni Sabha. 8220;It was a time when artists were not being given the credit they deserved. To create awareness in any field, it is necessary to involve the general public and so we decided to make it into a public trust,8221; he says. Teaching art was not as easy as it seemed. The classes were conducted in the cramped premises of Khangavkar wada near the Jogeshwari temple in Budhwar Peth. Later we shifted to rented premises on Laxmi Road. There were 250 students and we introduced courses in drawing, painting, applied arts and architecture. Funds were not forthcoming.

8220;It was a difficult time for us but we persevered,8221; he says. Their combined efforts saw the purchase of a plot and the construction of the new Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya on Tilak Road in 1962. With the strength of students increasing to 1000, two additional floors were added to the existing three floors. Finally, in 1974, another branch of the Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya came up near Sutarwadi, Pashan.

All the while, though Dengle kept his brush busy, his exhibitions took him to different places in the country. 8220;A European tour that I undertook in 1973 was an eye-opener. The exposure to other methods of approaching works of art, the museums, studios and art schools that I visited was tremendous. It coloured my approach to painting,8221; he says.

Dengle believes that his versatility is a result of remaining a student all his life. 8220;I have never been ashamed to learn from other artists.8221; An opportunity he got as member of the Lalit Kala Akademi from 1983 to 1988 when he toured the country8217;s art schools on various committees.

A teacher to the last, Dengle believes that art is his mission. 8220;Art needs an enlightened audience to appreciate it. And it is the painter8217;s responsibility to create that awareness,8221; he says. In 1996, after his 69th exhibition, Dengle decided to take on some of that responsibility. And Riaz was born.

8220;Initially, many fellow artists poked fun at the idea of conducting workshops at an exhibition. But they had to change their minds when they saw the enthusiastic response to these workshops,8221; he remembers. The Riaz series concentrates on each aspect of painting 8211; paper, water, colours, composition and brushwork.

This energetic septuagenarian has already got other plans up his sleeve. He now plans to conduct experiments combining art forms like painting and dance or music. 8220;It is not a new experiment but I want to try it out,8221; he says.Clearly, his art is not static and this constant evolution through the different mediums of art makes for interesting viewing.