The most amazing contribution of the artist Samir Mondal is a continual renewal of the color of the water. He has endowed the colors of water with the status of oils, projecting a facet of the color of water that has never been visualized before. The artist keenly observed the characteristics of oil painting, noted the intrinsic quality of the oils, their richness and their substance. In his attempt to include these elements in the color of water, he has developed textures and structural features as if they are oils.
Form
Indian artist trained in classical watercolor, Samir Mondal seeks to transcribe in his bold watercolors the liveliness of modern life. Here, he reveals the importance of seeking a personal style for any artist.
The style of an artist reflects his character and identity. I am talking here about the individual style - the distinctive visual elements, the techniques and methods that are specific to each artist, that is to say, his visual vocabulary. Bringing your stone to the art world is a kind of commitment and responsibility.
My style of work has evolved, being influenced by events in my life since birth. During my early childhood in rural Bengal we played and experimented with natural pigments like ash, red clay, flower petals, leaves etc. Mixing such pigments with water, we made drawings and decorative patterns. Water and pigments have always been a part of me from the start. Later I moved to Kolkata to pursue higher studies in Government Art College. This was another big influence in the evolution of my style. Government Art College was a very British institute, so I was exposed to orthodox watercolour techniques of the British masters. The transparency and the magical three dimensional aspect of watercolour enthralled me as I began my student life. Landscapes, cityscapes open air study were the only subjects related to watercolour use. As I progressed through the years in college, I was exposed to Chinese watercolours with bold brush strokes, Egyptian hieroglyphics with simplified motifs, prehistoric cave paintings, frescoes from Ajanta Caves in India etc. These made me realize that in contemporary use of watercolour, it was still very much unexplored, not only in India but the world as a whole.
Samir Mondal
