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| Any attempt to stand dispassionately in front of a Paresh Hazra Painting seems futile, for the viewer is mesmerised by his artistic use of colour and is drawn into a world of delightfully intricate textures and forms by one of India's finest artist story-tellers. | |||||||||
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All his colours are born out of struggle. Taming the natural pigments and vegetable dyes
is to him, an important part of the process. Grinding the yellow ochre and then burning
it, he transforms it to burnt sienna. His formalin gas treatment revitalizes the age old
tempera process thereby giving it permanency. Thin washes of colour applied layer over
layer recall the influences of the Bengal tradition in watercolour. There is a delicacy and yet there is a ruggedness on the entire picture surface, rich in meaning and in viewing quality. Achieving technical completeness was a part and parcel of his growing up process. Born in a small village of Midnapur Dist. in West Bengal, Paresh completed his education from the Govt. College of Art and Craft, Calcutta. Now settled in Bangalore, Paresh draws from his roots in Bengal continuing the narrative tradition of the Patuas, but has devised a pictorial language which he can truly claim to be uniquely his. But what makes Paresh stand apart in his story telling ability. Firstly he uses a series of paintings to tell a single story,quite like the age old story teller captivating his audience day after day to tell the incomplete story. Paresh uses wit to telling effect. In his "Officer and Goat" Series the Sacrificial goat seems to mave more expression than the eyeless peaked capped officer. The story is open to many interpretations. Is Paresh the story teller or is the bird that continuously changes its perch in each picture frame? In his series on "The King and his Chamchas" spoons literally form part of the kings crown and halo providing Paresh with a platform to showcase Indian Power hungry Psychophants. |
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| And once angain in his series on
the Ramayana, Paresh steps into the shoes of Valmiki to narrate this epic tale. And we can
see him again as one of the probing sets of eyes that effortlessly float around in his
paintings watching the Ramayana unfold it's story. His imaginary is what makes Paresh's art unique. The artist i him probe the object of his intrest with such intensity that the complexities of the sexually changed sacrificial goat, vulnerability of the king and the serenity of Sita are communicated to the viewer condemned to watch a sad and tragic artist's rendition. The content is invested with magic by Parech's distinct humour, thus brushingaside criticism from those sho thought his texturing superficial and his use of powerded pigments archaic. -Naozar Daruwalla |
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| When the dancers begin to dance,
art comes to alive. in the third dimension, in space. It is no wonder then, that an
inspired, energetic, vibrant artist like Paresh Hazra was drawn to Nrityagram. Once there,
he let loose his creative energy, worked tirelessly, selflessly, to express, to
immortalize to celebrate the spirit of art. The outcome is a series of paintings in vivid
colours and inviting textures that journey through the many moods and nuances of dance and
Nrityagram itself.
Nrityagram is honoured to be an inspiration to this wonderful artist. Nrityagram is the
preserver of classical dance styles like Odissi, Mohiniattam and Kathak. It is the place
that Protima Gauri dreamt of and created... to be kept alive by her disciples and friends.
Paresh is one of those friends. His paintings, besides capturing the spirit of dance, also
preserve our classical dance heritage. thereby, these works have a special and vital
value.
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