Sparks of creativity
Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh whose work had far-reaching influence on 20th-century art, produced more than 2,100 artworks, including 860 oil paintings and more than 1,300 watercolors, drawings, sketches and prints, but only sold one painting during his lifetime. Bahrain-based artist Satheesh Paul, a painter who won international recognitions, including Sandro Botticelli award in Italy, is sacrificing material well-being in order to focus on his artwork, saying like Van Gogh, ‘sadness will last for ever’. Life doesn’t always go according to plan, Satheesh Paul’s life has demonstrated this harsh truth. He is now a talented but ‘starving artist’ who typically lives on minimum expenses, as all his disposable income goes toward his art projects, studies and international exhibitions. Satheesh Paul, an art teacher in the Indian School Bahrain, has been included in a number of International Group shows in USA, UK, France, Italy, Greece, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Bhutan. He was also selected to participate in Florence Biennale in Italy. He exhibited his works in many solo exhibitions in India and abroad and has received prestigious awards. Now he is in dire need of support, encouragement, and financial aid to survive.
‘Most artists are barely able to obtain recognition for their talents, says Satheesh. A few lucky ones had patrons that would sponsor them allowing them to work at their leisure, on their own special efforts. Participating in international art events gives new dimensions to the work of an artist. I would like to continue my international participations and research in paintings with the help of patrons and sponsors’ he says.
Satheesh dreams of painting…then he paints his dream. ‘It is not everyday that I work on a painting. There are times when the strongest of my inner feelings finds expression in a small pencil sketch, which might never translate into a bigger canvas. Reds, blues and yellows are colours that normally set aside when I sit down to paint. The brooding state of my mind seems to be passed. Now I am re-discovering the warmth of colours much to my own surprise’, he says.
Satheesh got Sandro Boticelli Award, an award in the name of the world famous Italian artist Sandro Boticelli(Italian Renaissance period,1445-1510) and was presented on his birthday, at his birthplace. It was bestowed on Satheesh in recognition of the original artistic style of the artist. The painting selected for this recognition was a linocut work ‘Eternity’.
Satheesh hails from Trivandrum, the capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. Satheesh Paul’s natural aptitude for painting at an early age made him create drawings on anything that came in handy from paper to wall. He ardently studied oil painting and was trained for seven years in oil painting and water colour by late Zainul Abdeen, a famous painter in Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, he joined Kerala University for BFA in painting and continued his studies at Bangalore University for his MFA in Graphics. He tried his hands at experimenting in new media and came up with amazing results.
‘I intensely researched on different media and techniques and succeeded on alternate media- mica sheet and X-ray films. Alternate media always amazed me with an urge to experiment and illustrate. It encouraged me to involve in Paintings for BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) and Graphics for MFA (Master of Fine Arts). So far I have displayed my works in fourteen major solo events and twenty five group exhibitions.
His paintings are noted for its symbolism, an intellectual form of expressionism. Not content with using colour and shape to communicate his feelings, Satheesh injects his compositions with messages and esoteric references,turning his paintings into a symbolist work of art. His artwork and creative practice extended into diverse modes, forms and mediums resulting in astonishing levels of variety and subtlety in his works. He rendered his themes to paint on canvas, crayon and graphic prints, often accompanied by poetic titles. Avoiding lavish use of colour, the muted and subdued hues of Satheesh’s earlier works only add to the powerful imagery. The intensity of emotions is obviously depicted in the eyes of the figures.
Satheesh Paul has a unique style. Expressed with a combination of cool and warm colours they illustrate his experiences in life. The colours in Satheesh’s paintings are at once, vibrant and subdued. His symbolic compositions are mostly figurative and abstract. With all its contemplation, his work is very powerful and intense.
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