Jatin Das recently concluded his show, Body and Line, at Mumbai’s Gallery Art and Soul. Das has several titles under his belt—painter, graphic artist, sculptor and muralist—and this exhibition of more than 100 works showed the full potential of this artist, who explores various mediums, from oil on canvas to graphic prints. The exhibition was a treat for art lovers as Das had not put up such a big show in the past 11 years. “The art world is going very commercial. It’s cheap. Today, people are only interested in buying and selling, not looking,” says this prolific artist. Das hopes that people in India will take time out to relish art once again. “India has become a quickie country,” he says. Das’ forte has always been his “bare figures”; here, he speaks of his five favourite figurative art works around the country.
Sculptures of Konark: Great artists created these sculptures. They are celestial and erotic; the renderings are beautiful. It looks like the figure is going to come out and dance—it’s the process of movement.
Ajanta cave murals: They are beautiful, poetic dancing figures. The elongated figures give them beauty and poetry. The key is their rhythm.
Chola dynasty Mahabalipuram sculptures: These figures have a lot of power and grace.
Dhokra figures: These are tribal and folk pieces. They use the Himalayan lost-wax method to make them mostly with bronze and brass.
Terracotta toys: These are very small toys. They are minimal, and that makes them beautiful. Their beauty is in their simplicity.