Batsa Gopal Baidya
Batsa Gopal Baidya’s art forms are associated with symbols and images of Nepali culture. His works show the influences of Tantric philosophy and Hindu mythologies. There is “Tantric abstractionism and the use of Hindu sacramental pigmentation” in his paintings. Culture and heritage dominate his paintings. A magical ambience is created with recurring motifs: mountains, thick clouds and temples. Sharp, triangular tantric mountain shapes appear from more solid mountain forms, symbolizing the hidden mystery, spirituality and power of nature.
Batsa Gopal Baidya’s art forms are associated with symbols and images of Nepali culture. His works show the influences of Tantric philosophy and Hindu mythologies. There is “Tantric abstractionism and the use of Hindu sacramental pigmentation” in his paintings. Culture and heritage dominate his paintings. A magical ambience is created with recurring motifs: mountains, thick clouds and temples. Sharp, triangular tantric mountain shapes appear from more solid mountain forms, symbolizing the hidden mystery, spirituality and power of nature.
The images of gods and mountains in his paintings are not the realistic representations but suggestions created by lines, colours and texture. At a glance, his compositions are “abstract pieces in vibrant colours, but a closer look reveals images of gods.” Constructed around symbolic images, Baidya’s works create spiritual atmosphere in the canvas.
Batsa Gopal Baidya creatively recycles the Hindu myth appropriating surrealist and expressionist techniques to depict the theme of meditation and the realization of cosmic being. The religious figures, icons and images like Hindu gods and goddesses, trident, Shivalinga, rosary and so on are recurrent in his works. The images and icons are not purely referential but altered and plural having multiple significances. The expressionist distortion makes the images unconventional.
The unusual positioning of the images as in dream acknowledges the surrealist technique. The way contrary images are put together is unusual and unexpected. The mountains, river and the Himalaya in background are far smaller than the central images in foreground. The artist makes some images bold and asserting to attract the viewer’s attention toward the centre.
The structure of green mountain, Himalayan peaks and trident also reinforce the theme of concentration. The peaks of green mountains in lower part of the canvas are blunt. As the viewer moves higher, one finds the pointed Himalayan peaks suggesting the higher degree of concentration. The dominant red colours in the Himalaya are expressionist, for we do not find these objects in such colour in reality.
A magical atmosphere is created with recurring motifs like thick clouds, mountains and temples. The sharp and triangular images in the composition aid to the concentration of the viewer pointing toward the hidden mystery and spiritual power. The compositions attempt to resolve the dualities between the self and cosmic being. The decorative pattern at the bottom of the canvas has been taken from Mithila folk art.
The artist does not show many hands of deities in realistic form as in traditional paintings but implies them by presenting many yantras (instruments). The figures of deities are proportionally bigger than the realistic green mountains and expressionist Himalaya. The artist condenses, amplifies and distorts the images with purpose. The bigger size of the divinities than that of mountains and Himalayas and signifies the power of the deity.
Both creative and destructive aspects coexist in deities. The voluptuous and monumental bodies signify creative power whereas their attack on devil represents destructive aspect.
Born in 1946 AD in Lalitpur, Batsa Gopal Baidya received his Govt. Diploma in art from Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai India. He also did a special course on Print Making from Sir J. J. School of Art. He has six solo exhibitions to his credit in Nepal has participated in numerous group exhibition nationally and internationally; such as National Art Exhibitions organized by NAFA, SKIB-71 group exhibitions, Triennial Exhibition at New Delhi India, Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh, Asian Art Show at Fukuoka Art Museum Japan etc. He has participated in several art workshops. He has been honored and felicitated multiple times for his contribution in art, selected are 1st prize National Art Exhibition org. by NAFA 1970 A.D., Gold Medal at 1st Biennale Exhibition Dhaka Bangladesh 1981 A.D., Gorkha Dakshin Bahu 4th by HMG 1993 A.D., Birendra Aishworya Padak 2003 A.D., Rashtriya Pratibha Puraskar 2006 A.D. He has also published several books related to art such as Stick Figure, Srijanatmak Kriyakalap Kasari and Creative expression through art.
