Goa born and bred artist Vitesh Naik finds Goa an
ongoing source of inspiration for his artworks. Its colourful characters, its
history of Portuguese occupation, its bars and tavernas form the subject of the
artist’s figurative works. And while Vitesh has won himself a loyal following
among collectors in Goa and outside its shores, he has recently been awarded a
prestigious National Award – the Kala Sankranti Rashtriya Puraskar from the
Lalit Kala Academy Karnataka.
The Lalit Kala in Karnataka held a National Exhibition
for the first time to celebrate its 50th anniversary recently. Vitesh received
the award for his work ‘Illusive World’, a
painting he submitted for this particular show.
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Vitesh explores the theme of lost innocence in an
increasingly corrupt world that is driven by the illusion of materialism,
hypocrisy, greed and false glory. The transient nature of emotions and
relationships in such a world is exposed through the central figure of a
semi-dressed woman in the painting.
The winning artwork is in the artist’s signature style
– colourful, peppered with characters and elements of Goan life and layered
with meaning. The painting is large and filled with a number of people,
animals, symbols and references. A little surreal, a little soulless – it makes
for a world of its own.
You see a coconut tree, a gaping fish on the table, a
church, a cockerel, a dog with his tongue hanging out and some ‘bandwallahs’. A group of men are playing cards and
drinking with their tankards on the table while a woman, with one breast
exposed, simultaneously tempts and exposes what is going on around her. Society
has changed and for the worse, comments the artist. Vitesh takes on this
complex subject, mixing elements of innocence and vice, faith and
betrayal, humanity and bestiality to stunning effect. Everyone looks hungry and
in want of something – greedy for more whether it be the human characters or
the animal ones. Materialism, lust and greed rule the world feels the artist.
Explaining his painterly response to the times we live
in, Vitesh says, “Sometimes we judge people by their external
appearance. We are more focused on outer appearance than their internal
appearance. It can be deceiving and leads to misunderstandings. I prefer to
portray the true colours and varied shades of society and the self. I love to
expose such hidden aspects of our life and have tried to do this through this
painting.
“In this painting I have shown how the world is so
superficial that relations are fragile and can be broken within seconds.
Hypocrisy is at its peak. My perception towards society is that the way the
world appears externally is not actually how it looks internally.”
“It’s like an illusion and we are living in this
‘illusive world’,” he
adds.
Encouraged to go to Fine Art School by his father, a
truck driver, Vitesh has received a number of awards for his art over the
years. This one however, being a National Award, is really special to him. He
says, “This award is motivational and it will boost my creativity. It will help
me to see things with a newer and broader perspective.”
