The other's art

At the RPG art camp in Mumbai, subcontinental painters exchange notes

It amuses veteran artist Krishen Khanna to answer questions about art camps. He'd like to be honest and say he's just there to have a good time, soak in the sun and meet old friends, but at RPG's Annual Art Camp, Khanna gives politically correct sound bites to an audience watching him paint yet another pieta.

Ask him whether six days of meeting different artists has influenced him and you'll get another smile. Make the mistake of asking him how it feels to interact with international artists and he very candidly retorts, "There's nothing new about it. It's been happening for centuries."

Is there anything to be said about cross influences then? Is it possible that interaction between artists inspires a painter's style or form?

There's a clear divide of opinion on artists in residence. "I think, in a way, six days are just enough, else we'd tear each other's hair out," says Khanna.

Though most agree that there's no clear recognisable influence, several artists like Bharti Prajapati, Brinda Miller, Rini Dhumal say it's interesting to observe technique.

"Each artist has his or her take on technique and it's great to see how people like Sunil Das work with oil or how the Korean artist Hyunjoo Park does gold gilding," says Dhumal. Miller and Dhumal have become veterans at art camps and are looking forward to an all-women artist's camp in southeast Asia.

"I don't think it matters if there are clear influences but it's definitely nice to see the world for a brief period of time from another person's perspective," says Pakistani painter Afshar Malik, whose work currently involves a mix of calligraphic patterns and block prints.

This is the first time in 15 years that the annual camp has international artists. Four of the painters are from Pakistan, two from Bangladesh and one each from Korea and Malaysia.

Says another Pakistani painter Nahid Raza, who has been painting a series on women in different forms since the mid-eighties, "Indian artists, in comparison, are far more experimental and there's a lot more energy here."

All the artists are scattered, working on either a thematic painting or their self portraits, in little nooks in the gardens.

"It's difficult to see how an affect is created by a painter unless you go to the studio; here's the perfect opportunity to observe," says Prajapati.

While taking breaks, artists mingle to watch, question or even appreciate another painter's work.

"We have a little chat about the theme of the painting, its context and the technique. That interchange of views lends an interesting perspective to a work in progress," says 'Chand' Mohammed Shakil Saigol from Pakistan. Almost all of Saigol's current work deals with deciphering the mysteries surrounding people.

Most of the artists continue to work on ongoing themes. Like Raza, Khanna, Saigol and Jehangir Jani pursuing his penchant for replicating self composure and angst.

Over lunch, the 30-odd artists basking in the sun have a heart-to-heart about Bollywood and their favourite filmstars. Does that influence their work?