Nature’s Way

For artist Deepak Shinde, painting is a way of educating people about ecological and natural concerns – an issue that people rarely talk about. His latest exhibition too, called Co-existence, delves on his favourite subject and includes paintings of nature, animals, and abstract works. Shinde, who has been a painter for the last four decades and trained under eminent artist Vasudeo Gaitonde, says that his art is a way of ‘giving back to nature’.

5 Questions with the artist, Deepak Shinde 

1. Artistic Motivations “My instinct to express differently. It is my experiences, observations, and responses that come to life on my canvases.”
2. Inspirations “Nature in all its forms inspires me. From my early years as an artist, inspiration also came from VS Gaitonde and Tyeb Mehta – with their impeccable understanding of abstraction and the human form respectively.”
3. On the wall at home “I would choose to have VS Gaitonde, Tyeb Mehta, Willem De Kooning and Jackson Pollock. Their masterpieces are truly inspiring and tell a story of their own.”
4. Concerns that find a place in your art “My heart bleeds for the abuse of nature and the mute animals. My concerns are for the endangered species that man is driving off the face of the Earth. Sadly, I am amongst the very few artists who paint for the ecology. My heart holds a special concern for the tiger which I try to inculcate in my works from time to time.”
5. If not an artist you would be…“A farmer! A nature nurturer!”

Co-existence is on display at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai (161, K Dubash Marg, Kala Ghoda) from December 23-29, 2014.