‘Visual Melody’ – A Ravi Paranjape Retrospective

Veteran artist painter-illustrator Ravi Paranjape passed away last year in June. He left behind a vast wealth of his enchanting works which he created through his career spanning over six decades. Coinciding his first death anniversary, a grand retrospective show titled ‘Visual Melody – Life and Art of Painter-Illustrator Ravi Paranjape’ is currently being exhibited as a tribute to him, at the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai.

This is a splendid opportunity for art lovers to witness the diversity of Paranjape’s works of art. Paranjape began his art education during the early fifties and started his professional career in 1958. Some of the earliest of his sketches of that era presented in the exhibition demonstrate the academic precision in his style. The exhibits from the later decades reveal the experimentative spirit that he cultivated into himself. It is this spirit which seems to be the core strength of his professional outlook. It led him to explore newer and hitherto unknown avenues for artistic expression. Clearly, this combination of the academic precision and free flowing creative experimentation within the framework of the academic style became his hallmark.

Chinha Art News had an exclusive conversation with Paranjape’s wife Smt Smita Ravindra Paranjape that revealed the nuances of the artist’s lifelong passion for art. Paranjape began his artistic career as an illustrator, which he took as an opportunity to apply his skills. He surprised his superiors and employers with his extraordinary drawing skills, especially his command over memory drawing. He was never content with routine jobs and was always on the lookout for challenging tasks. No wonder his hidden potential was soon realized by many, which led him to get several assignments at national and international level.

Smt Paranjape recalls Ravi as a passionate workaholic who needed to be reminded to take a break occasionally. Even during the family outings, he used to find resources to fulfil his other passion areas such as literature and music. Music always had a special place in his heart, as he was not just a hobby music lover but in his early years he even aspired for a career in Music. Even though he chose painting for a career, he never compartmentalized various art forms, he rather found a harmony between them. So much so that he even described his paintings as ‘Songs in colors’!

Such a harmonious view on the fine arts and the deep contemplation over several decades led him to evolve his philosophy of art which he summarized as ‘Design based culture’. This philosophy is based on seven virtues – Desire, Knowledge, Purpose, Mindfulness, Ethics, Commitment and Altruism. Paranjape emphasized on the sense of beauty as a core principle behind art. He believed that an artist must ‘Absorb the beauty and Present it beautifully’ to ensure the continuity of that beauty in the viewers’ experience. No wonder why he considered his art to be ‘the manifestation of happiness, expressed in paint.’ The philosophy of art that he evolved through his experimentative art practice found its way into the art lovers’ hearts through his eloquent aphorisms such as, “Happiness held is the seed, Happiness shared is the flower.” He has crystallized the essence of his art practice and philosophy through several books in Marathi and English. His autobiographical book ‘Brush Mileage’, and books of compilation of his articles, ‘Neeldhaval Dhwajakhali’ and ‘Shikhare Rang Reshanchi’ are widely acclaimed.

Ravi Paranjape’s substantial and consistent contribution to the art world led him to receive several awards and recognitions that include ‘Roopdhar Lifetime Achievement Award’ from The Bombay Art Society, The Pune Pride Award and Government of Maharashtra’s Veteran Artist Award, to name a few of them.

Viewing Paranjape’s works surely provides an experience of beauty that transcends nature and man-made surroundings, whether rural or urban. Even in the driest subjects and mechanical drawings of machine advertisements that he illustrated, the lifeless and emotionless machines appear to be objects of sheer beauty and grace. Portrait, Landscape, Still life, Abstract, Illustrative drawings, 3D Architectural perspective renderings, Advertisements, Calendars, Movie posters, Book covers are some of the well-known genres under which his works are beautifully arranged and presented with neat footnotes. Such a methodical yet elegant presentation offers an opportunity to viewers to understand the journey and evolvement of the artist through decades. The documentation, classification and presentation of works spanning over six decades is a challenging task which has been successfully carried out by the core team of Paranjape’s disciples.

Ravi Paranjape’s contribution to the world of art is highlighted by instituting the Ravi Paranjape Foundation 1998. Through this, the school of thought ‘Design based culture’, continues to inspire, and educate young artists and art enthusiasts. The Foundation has instituted ‘K R Paranjape Gunijan Kala Puraskar’ award in the name of Raviji’s beloved father, for recognizing underappreciated senior artists. Smt Smita Paranjape further shared that the dedicated members and contributors of the Foundation are enthusiastic for strengthening the art education and other allied activities further.

The exhibition will be open to public till 26^th June 2023 at Jehangir Art Gallery between 11 am and 7 pm. Paranjape’s publications including his award-winning book ‘Brush Mileage’ are available for purchase at the exhibition venue alongside beautifully crafted merchandise with reproductions of his paintings.

For further information, please refer to www.raviparanjape.org

Vineel Bhurke