\”Infinite Light\” Expresses Paresh Maity’s Journey of Three Decades in Art

“This exhibition is a culmination of years of quest, seeking to capture the essence of nature. The most important inspiration in my work is nature. As an artist, I observe, perceive and imagine – an image forms itself which I then express on canvas. I live every day of life just absorbing and understanding light for its qualities of magic and caprice. Colour helps to express light, not the physical phenomenon. My journey has led me, not only to the discovery of the chiaroscuro of light and shade, but also to an inner tranquility – a quiet glow which I hope will act as a beacon of light to guide me on my journey in the years to come.”

Paresh Maity

Paresh Maity, a well-known artist, is presenting the biggest solo exhibition in India, spanning nearly four decades of his creative output. Maity enjoys mixing up his materials, and his work as a sculptor and ceramicist demonstrates his passion for molding and sculpting as he shapes pieces that have been made over the years. Maity\’s works of art explore his feelings and experiences over the years. They range from the peaceful lakes of Venice to the spiritual ghats in Benaras, from the vibrant Indian landscapes to the splendour and exuberance of Indian festivals. Spanning nearly four decades of his artistic oeuvre, Paresh Maity has created and explored various mediums in the art including watercolour, oil and acrylic paintings, mixed media, sculptures and photography.

At the exhibition titled Infinite Light, artist Paresh Maity is showcasing the pieces that he has produced over the past 32 years. This exhibition, which is currently on display at Bikaner House in Delhi, will tour to Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru till March 2023 . In addition to examining the formative years of Maity\’s career, the exhibition includes works that reflect his transition from figuration to abstraction as an emergent sensibility as well as his sensitivity and enthusiasm for his subjects. These paintings were created from life and from memory in India as well as during journeys abroad. These mixed-media and oil works by this well-known South Asian artist of the new millennium reflect his ability to experiment with the fundamentals of underlying ripples in tone and tenor as well as his contemplative attitude.

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Conceived in different media, the displayed works are in varying sizes. But, a sculpture weighing seven tonnes, titled The Pair, stands out. “It signifies the male and the other female. In the making of this, the moment you go with the scale, it becomes the biggest challenge because you tend to get lost,” explains Maity, revealing that he’s showcasing his ceramic pieces for the first time in his five-decade career. Another highlight is the 45-feet painting, Nirvana, which took Maity six months. “For the last 37 years, I’ve been going to Varanasi. It’s a destination that inspires many artists. So I wanted to create a painting that captured Dev Deepavali on canvas while covering several aspects of the festival, in a massive installation,” he said to Hindustan Times.

Poet-art critic Ranjit Hoskote, the curatorial advisor of this exhibition, says, “Paresh Maity’s art embodies a deep fascination with light as a shaping power, with colour as a ground of being, and with the human being as witness and participant in epic-scale cosmic dramas.” Light plays an important role in Maity’s artworks, and thus the show was named, Infinite Light.

Maity doesn\’t just depict nature in paint; he also manipulates its sensory tranquilly and reframes its introspective sojourn into passages that pervade forever. This Tamluk-born painter, who is now regarded as one of India\’s greatest watercolorists, is always inspired by nature. He views it as nature at work and is passionate about capturing all of its hues in his paintings. He asserts that the watercolours he creates are an integral element of the cycle of life.

Infinite Light by Paresh Maity is on show at Bikaner House till November 18. The show will run from November 12-25 at Indian Habitat Centre, and from December 1 to January 10 at Art Alive Gallery.