Last Saturday,
over much (probably too much) wine and cheese, my good friend the shiny eyed
Paul Fernandes quietly offered his understated genius to 21st century
Mumbaikars.
Housed in an
industrial gala, this beautiful little art gallery in Worli, was Paul's gift to the Bombay of yore, as
many of us want to remember it. This was best reflected in the song composed
and performed at the opening by his four charming sisters entitled " Bring
back my Bombay to me"
Mumbai needs
Paul's art form at least as much as Paul needs Mumbai to recognize his genius.
Indeed, this evening was really about two great characters talking of each
other. Not unlike the mighty Federer in
conversation with the legendary Laver. It takes two great characters of equal
genius to do justice to each other.
A number of
people do refer to Paul as the Mario Miranda of Mumbai. Mario's focus was
always on the situation he portrayed and the people in it. As all good
cartoonists do, and do very well. Paul's passion is about the place and its
essential character. The people are only the props. In fact, he reminds me of
my favourite artist Herge (you heard right) more than anyone else. Undoubtedly
there were many interesting characters in TINTIN, drawn mostly from Herge's
childhood. But Herge was very much about
the setting. And he went to great pains to research and captured the essence of
those locations. Whether it was the chaotic streets of New Delhi or the
criminal majesty of Chicago's skyline, Herge (like Paul now) captured and
caricatured the environment with élan and passion in equal measure.
Which is why all his titles are built around places. TINTIN in Tibet, The Land
of Black Gold, TINTIN and the Picaros, TINTIN in America and the now infamous
TINTIN in Congo.
When I was ten,
HERGE transported me deep into the soul of these great locations. When I was
forty, Paul unlocked the heart of Bangalore and Goa for me. And now he
interprets for all of us the spirit of one of the truly great cities of the world.
Paul's peculiar
genre of art, which Girish Karnad so elegantly referred to in his inaugural
address as "Cultural Caricaturing" is probably more relevant today
than when he first started doodling about his beloved Bangalore some twenty
years ago.
In a world that
increasingly secures itself around its immediate surroundings and time frames,
Paul's work is akin to the protection of heritage buildings. It reminds, it
preserves and it provokes.
1 comments:
Very well said RJT. I missed it. We were invited for the inauguration but I was still not up to venturing out into crowded places, so skipped it. Shall view his work.
Vispy
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