ARTSCAPE
Pastoral panorama
Glimpses of rural India come alive on the canvas of Dr Lal Ratnakar
Nilakshi Bhattacharyya
He has greatly been influenced by the works of Munshi Premchand. And just like the great litterateur, he looks at rural India while choosing the subject of his paintings.
"I draw inspiration from the peasant folk of the areas in and around Banaras, which, I feel, has not been portrayed as widely as rural Rajasthan. I try to capture the fighting spirit of these people who, despite facing so many hardships in life, do not lose their jest for life," reveals Dr. Lal Ratnakar, a painter based in Raj Nagar, Ghaziabad.
A native of Jaunpur, his first exposure to the world of art came in the form of wall paintings done by the women folk in his village. "Actually I also started with that. I used to draw flowers, animals and birds on the walls of our house with charcoals," reminisces the artist, who was clear right from childhood that he would become an artist when he grew up. "I got full support from my family. Eventually I did masters in drawing and painting from Kanpur University," he says.
But it was during his research for his doctorate under Prof. Anand Krishan in Banaras University that he got a direction to give vent to his creativity.
"The whole atmosphere in his house was very art-oriented. It was here that I first got the chance to understand art in its true sense. And this is something for which I will always be indebted to Prof. Krishan. It is very important for an artist to understand his true calling. I feel this more nowadays when I see many aspiring artists work without actually knowing the meaning of art," reveals Ratnakar, who has participated in many exhibitions in the country.
At present Ratnakar is associated with Kaladham, a centre of art that came up at Kavi Nagar, Ghaziabad.
"This is one of the best things to have happened in this part of the NCR. Kaladham has an art gallery and an open air theatre in a big compound. This is the perfect space for art connoisseurs as they get opportunities to see the work of various artists as many exhibitions and workshops are organised here quite frequently. Next in the offing is a 10-day workshop from April 4. Fifteen artists from all over the country will come together to share their work," says Ratnakar who is the convenor of the programme.
Presently he is attached with MMH College, CCS University, Meerut, as a faculty member of Fine Arts.
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