A Brush With Genius

His works regularly find their way into some of the most prized collections in the world but Jatin Das, one of India’s foremost artists, is quite the collector himself. His treasure trove of Pankhas is truly one of its kind.

- Sam Lal | Juhi Handa

In sharp contrast to the vibrant world of colour he inhabits, Jatin Das speaks his mind in black and white. One of India’s most celebrated artists, he is a Padma Bhushan awardee, the country’s highest civilian award which was conferred upon him by the President of India in 2012.

He is also the recipient of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, a Bharat Nirman awardee and a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, UK. That certainly is not all, because the list of accomplishments and recognitions that Jatin Das has earned in his 55 year career are, to put it mildly, staggering.

However, strange as it may sound, but the honours heaped upon him take a decidedly second seat to Jatin’s electric personality. Walking into his studio in Mehrauli for the interview and shoot, we are met by a person who positively crackles with energy. It is like shaking hands with a live wire as we make our introductions and start settling down for a conversation that will take in his days as an art student in the Sixties in Bombay – it hadn’t become Mumbai yet – his days in Delhi as a young painter when Nizamuddin was a beehive of artistic activity and the subsequent evolution of Jatin Das, the icon.

Although he would probably reject any such notion as being way too fanciful but walking into Jatin Das’ studio is a little like treading on some sort of hallowed ground. Rows upon rows of canvases line both sides of the vast space and you realise you are in the middle of so much history. Ever the intuitive artist, Jatin points towards the volumes of dossiers that line one corner of the room. They contain media coverage the artist has received in the sixties and every decade ever since.