How a Kolkata artist is bringing Mahabharata alive on canvas – India Today

Artist Prithviraj Choudhury spoke to indiatoday.in about his upcoming exhibition all set to be inaugurated on January 29 at Novotel Kolkata.

A scene from the Mahabharata. (Pic: Prithviraj Choudhury)

By Srimoyee Chowdhury: When vivid colours are paired with expressive snippets from an epic, that instill awe among many, magic is bound to happen. And Kolkata-based artist Prithviraj Choudhury surely didn’t disappoint while articulating the complex yet striking storyline of Mahabharata in his upcoming exhibition all set to be inaugurated on January 29 at Novotel Kolkata.

“I have been working with Indian mythological characters for many years. I have managed to introduce the Indian art form in different places all over the globe. When it comes to Indian folklore, people tend to relate to Mahabharata more. This epic has always intrigued me. There are so many dynamics and it’s not only about the kings and queens or gods and goddesses. It describes the journey called life that we all go through. It also makes one understand the purpose of life. The epic is not just a story but a lesson which we should all learn,” Choudhury told indiatoday.in while speaking about what inspired his art series on Mahabharata.

“We don’t really know if Mahabharata happened or not. We don’t know if Kurukshetra existed or if Krishna had a conversation with Arjun on the battlefield. But what remains important are the words spoken during that conversation, which were the basis of the Bhagavad Gita, which is the purpose of life,” Choudhury added as he explained why the epic holds so much importance in his work.

Hailing from the Bengal Kalighata School of art, Choudhury’s works display bold brush strokes and three vibrant yet basic colours – blue, red and yellow. “I have always been fascinated by the wild and bold colours, hence the use of blue, yellow and red in my pieces. These three colours have their own individuality. They all co-exist,” the artist explained.

When asked about his favourite subject in the Brobdingnagian epic, Choudhury spoke fondly about Krishna. He narrated the complexity of the character and explained how Krishna has been regarded at a high stature because of his various avatars and also because of his pristine relationship with Draupadi.

“One of my major subjects has been Krishna. In the epic, Krishna has been the Lord of the Universe. He has been shown in different avatars,” he said.