Japanese artist portrays Bapu, Mother Teresa in vivid Nihonga

Hatanaka, showcases Nihonga, an ancient Japanese fine art form which uses traditional colours ground from various stones and natural materials instead of chemical pigments in vogue currently.

"All over the world, the way people paint is changing. Nowadays, less and less artists are using natural ingredients and instead resorting to readymade paints and colours. The beautiful vivid colours made from stones and earth that are products of nature have their own tales to tell," the artist told PTI in an interview.

Carbon black, mineral pigments like azurite and agate and other natural pigments are what Hatanaka uses like all other traditional painters of this form. The resulting work is flat panelled with minimum or absolutely no layering at all.

"I don't like layering. I believe that painting should reflect the look of nature without any shading. That is why it is essential to use sophisticated techniques to create vivid hues to recapture the beauty of nature," says the artist who is also impressed with traditional Indian painting techniques.

Although he has been coming to India from the year 1974 almost every year and has spend "almost 4 years" of total time in the country and has great affinity to Indian textiles and paintings, the current exhibition is his first here.

"I love India, the land of the Buddha and in this exhibition have included Gandhi and Mother Teresa. The basic concept is peace," says the artist who has picked up a smattering of hindi over the years. (MORE)