Colors, and eternal change; all are part of our nature. When we move away from them, our mind starts getting disturbed. In today’s time when art is capable of giving a more fulfilling life, we are moving away from it. The peace that one feels while painting, the satisfaction that one feels; that peace, and that satisfaction can be found only through meditation.
Painting is not an art because it helps us to get out our emotions, but painting acts as a kind of mental calming medicine. When we are painting, we are not thinking our mind becomes zero. Our thoughts stop and that is probably the reason why I have described the painting as meditation.
Whenever our mind is disturbed or emotions overwhelm us, we can resort to painting. It is quite simple and relaxing. It calms our body and we start seeing our life clearer. One reason for this could be that when we paint, we put our negative thoughts on paper. The second reason can be the phenomenon of getting so lost in that process that we are not thinking about anything else, our process becomes our present, future, and past.
When we are involved in such a process, we are able to feel ourselves. This is the stage when we are not concerned about the fruits of our actions. This may be because art has been considered an important part of human history for thousands of years and over time it has become ingrained in our DNA and positively affecting us.
Time has a different effect on our bodies. It fills our minds with different types of thoughts. As we progress in age, our brain will make algorithms for each event. Most of the time it takes us to the right place and it gives us a chance to foresee. Similarly, as we become more mature by painting, we have to work even harder to keep ourselves thoughtful and creative.
Although we make paintings to understand ourselves and the sequence of events around us, when we make it without reason, then the unrest under us ends. We come to our true form.
If we look at today’s time, the need for mental peace is overwhelming, and people doing everything to achieve it. But if we use painting as a hobby instead of making it a profession, even then we will not have to make any other extra effort for mental peace.
In today’s time painting has also taken a different form. Earlier, when making paintings meant a vision and complete imitation of the beauty of nature, it has turned completely opposite in today’s time. It started in the 19th century and continues to grow till today. The modern art that exists at the moment does not ask us to imitate anything exactly. Today’s definition tells us that painting should be made with complete freedom and we should free our thoughts of our mind.
Art only means enjoyment and happiness If art is not giving you happiness then it does not matter how good and how creative art you make. In today’s time when everyone needs mental peace and patience, then the painting has come out as a medium that can give us both patience and peace.
When I see a farmer plowing the field in the village, I see a different kind of happiness and satisfaction on his face and I think – “How can a farmer be so happy and content while plowing the field?”
But we can get the secret behind this from the fact that when the farmer is plowing, he does not think about the benefits of future crops or produce. He is engrossed in his work only and only at that time. He does not care at all that how will the yield in his field be or whether the seeds sown by him will grow properly or not. Rather, his mind is focused only on the work being done in the present.
Just as a farmer is sure about his work, in the same way a painter should also be sure about his work. He should not care at all about how much creativity is in his painting or whether people will like his painting or not. The meaning of life is hidden in art and if we separate art from emotion and see it only as a value, then we will fail as human beings.
When we look at the paintings of great painters like FN Souza and Picasso or Pollock, we see something different and I don’t think that when those people started making paintings, they would have thought whether anyone would like their paintings or not Or whether they are able to put creativity in painting or not. His independence was visible in his work. His work captivates us and his paintings are full of life.
For us painting is a form of life; it gives a kind of freedom. To realize yourself, to free yourself from your own shackles. Paintings give us a unique feeling of connecting past, present, and future. As if a yogi has attained salvation. – Vikash Kalra
Vikash Kalra is a self-taught artist and writer based in New Delhi whose work has been exhibited across India and is held in several private and corporate collections.