ARTIST C K Purandare, a resident of Shaniwar Peth [sic], now based in Britain will be showcasing his unique perception of art at Sudarshan Art Gallery till August 5. His paintings are based on subjects perceived as ‘unpleasant’.

A layman may not understand the paintings. To make it simple, Purandare has published a booklet explaining each of the paintings. Purandare says, ‘I don’t want to be called an artist because my paintings are far apart from the commonly perceived aesthetics of art. I am a communicator and I have chosen this medium because for me, verbal language as a means of communication has reached a dead end. I aim to overcome these limitations of verbal language through my paintings.’

His paintings mainly depict social and political misery. He continues,‘ I don’t doubt the efficacy of painting as a means of communication nor am I bothered about the value of it. There are a lot of social issues that are overlooked by the society. I want to communicate my views on issues like Nandigram, Godhra, AIDS, media onslaught, complications of human relationships, man-made poverty, inequality, violence killing thousands of people all over the world, people starving to death, killing other people, trudging miles everyday the whole life for drinking water and many such things.’

Purandare is not even formally trained as an artist. His tryst with the paintbrush took shape in November 2001, after he shifted to Britain. A qualified metallurgical engineer from the College of Engineering, Pune, Purandare post graduated in Sociology from the Pune University some years later. ‘After post graduation, I was associated with social research projects where I interacted with Naxalites, rural female labourers below poverty line, sunset industries, separatists in Assam and Manipur…Whatever is written in the sociology books and journals is meant for those few who are conversant with the terminology. For the common man, it just does not make sense.’

The paintings definitely bear a poignant message but would that provoke the immature insensitivity of the society. To this Purandare replies, ‘I know the society will never change but it does not stop me from expressing myself. When I see people coming here, after seeing the paintings they get disturbed. My purpose is fulfilled because my paintings make people pause and think’, he concludes.

[Mid-day, Metro-Pune edition August 3-9, 2007]