When the artist was a young man in college, one day, his professor gave a strange assignment - sketch yourself! All the students sketched themselves. The artist in reference did the same. By the way, he has aged graciously over the years but those days he was a young man with slender athletic bearing like a swimmer. When he showed the sketch, the professor laughed. He was puzzled.
The professor said, 'Do you look like that? Are you a muscleman with a V-shaped figure?'
He shook his head. 'No. I am not.'
'Then?' asked the professor.
He was speechless.
The professor said, 'You have projected as you think you should look like. The ideal image of yourself in your mind. This is not truth. But art is truth. To attain such truth, you must overcome the hurdle of your ego.'
This incident struck him like a stroke of lightning.
When we look at the paintings by Prakash Ambegaonkar, we are confronted by a form of reality more real than we are aware of. It is an exposition of truth. His personal truth. Truth of the society. Truth of nature. His paintings are not mere decoration with juxtaposition of different colourful shapes. His paintings speak volume in silence. They pinch and bite the viewer. They bring mellow or nostalgia. But they never leave you indifferent!
In Jehangir Art Gallery, his paintings are on display during this week. Your correspondent visited the show. It was a wonderful experience walking through the unforgettable exposition of visual treats.
The exhibition will continue until 5th March '23.
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