Saturday, June 1, 2013

Artist Of The Month

My age is 80 years. I discovered my true calling of art very early in life. I completed my primary education from Hathras in U.P. a small town, where my father a railway station master settled after retirement in the year 1942. I had to curtail my desire to study further as  lack of a college coupled with financial constraints forced me to move to Delhi to eke out an honest living at a very young age.

I started my humble career designing sewing reel labels for a small printing press in Old Delhi. It was during this phase that I was appointed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on a short term basis to illustrate pottery and antiquities found in their various excavation of ancient sites. My art talent and vision found a permanent place with ASI and I spent many fruitful years drawing inspirations from travelogues with them. In my quest of learning  I received a Diploma in Art from the prestigious Sir J.J School of Art, Mumbai in the year 1963.. During my stint with ASI, a veritable treasure trove of Indian art, I sought my inspirations from temple sculptures, caves such as the Khajuraho and Ajanta murals. I painted many ancient ruins to life during the day and my own art by night. Many of these found a pride of place at the National Museum, New Delhi and won me accolades and recognition galore. I retired as Chief Artist from ASI.

I have been pursuing my dreams ever since. My creativity is infused with the atmosphere of joy and life, and the belief I am capable of creating my own happiness. My body of work is polyphonic. I have explored a multitude of painting genres and have begun to explore the endless pathways that my creative mind is discovering.



Lalit Jain 
 

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