Ritanjali Hastir Freelance writer
When the going gets tough, the tough get going can rightly be said about this 24 year old painter and he himself believes in the saying that “art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better”. An inspired painter, Chaman Thakur has mastered the art of pen drawing and won a prize at the national level at the All India Art Exhibition organized by the State Museum Shimla in 2009 for his pen drawing of the famous Viceregal Lodge Shimla.
The young artist hails from very small village Hirab of Banjaar and he aspires to become a professional painter. So far he has exhibited his work in two group shows and one solo exhibition both held at the Gaiety Theater, Shimla in the year 2010 and 2011 respectively.
Chaman completed his MA in Fine Arts from Himachal Pradesh University and within a span of four years he mastered not only painting techniques like pen drawing but oil painting and acrylic painting as well. He adds, “As such I never took any professional training from any teacher but work of Nand Lal Thakur, Professor in HPU and a famous artist, has always fed my hunger for creative inspiration. Initially I even tried to paint like him but after a while I realized the true meaning of saying ‘You’ve gotta be original, because if you’re like someone else, what do they need you for?’ and this helped me in figuring out my own style and add a personal touch to my work”.
The artist currently relies on the use of black pen for his paintings and feels that “For any artist it is really important to see the beauty in everything. I consider black to be a colour which voids all the boundaries between good and bad and absorbs everything in it to give a new dimension to everything. For me everything is deep, beautiful and if considering that black will take away the charm of any work is totally a wrong notion”.
Facing oppression from his family members, who wanted him to take up a government job, Chaman is determined to follow his dream and become a freelance painter. Currently he has one student and feels that even if a single painting costing somewhere around five to eight thousand is sold annually, it is sufficient to meet his yearly expense of brush and paints.
To satiate his learning thirst and polish himself to become one of the fine artists in the world, Chaman has attended various workshops such as the Shoba Singh at Art Gallery, Andretta; Indian Institute of Fine Arts Amritsar’s workshop in Amritsar; and recently Lalit Kala Academy New Delhi’s workshop at Chamba.
In spite of pen drawing being his forte, Chaman also experiments with colours and says, “A work of art is a unique result of a unique temperament. Its beauty comes from the fact that the artist is what he is. It has nothing to do with the fact that other people want, or what they want as looking at my colour paintings, the observer may not find anything extraordinary in them and also have a notion that even a child can make it. But I feel only the painter and a true art critique may know what tale a painting narrates.”
Chaman says, “In fact, the moment an artist takes notice of what other people want, and tries to supply the demand, I feel that he ceases to be an artist, and becomes a dull or an amusing craftsman. He has no further claim to be considered as an artist. Therefore, though I draw inspiration from many but I always follow my originality”.
Future plans of Chaman include showcasing his creations in Shimla, Chandigarh and Delhi. He feels that though the Himachal Art, Culture and Language Department is really supportive but still it would have been more accommodating if they helped the artist in creating a market for their work so that any artist is not compelled to compromise his dreams for the sake of his living.