Interview with Mr. Devdatta Padekar

PUBLISHED IN CITADEL(MAGNA PUBLICATION) AUGUST2010

In today’s career driven generation how few are the young minds who go after their dreams and really make it big. We chatted up with one of the brightest star on the art horizon of India. 30 year old Devdatta Padekar is modesty personified. Not once could you make out that the person so mater of factly talking to you about his art is acclaimed and admired all over the world for his artistic brilliance.

When asked about what is his artistic inspiration, Devdatta candidly replied “there is no fixed criterion to what I paint. There are so many things that I see around me that enter my work through unconscious ways, something that I didn’t even intend in the first place” he recalls an incident, recently after he came back from Italy he noticed a beautiful tree near his house had been chopped down during his absence. He says that even this unpleasant feeling that he gets, influences his work in more than one ways. Talking about the world art scenario shifting from representational to abstract, Devdatta’s views on it are very balanced. According to him the movement of

representational vs abstract will never cease to exist in the art world. As world progresses new experiments with art will keep taking place but the representational art form will never loose its place. “I see every form of art.

I may not like it but there could be a germ in it that may appeal to me”

So how do your parents who too are brilliant artists affect your style of work? “we have different studios. We may comment on each other’s work, we discuss about it, we may criticize it at times but it doesn’t affect either of our styles. Its very distinct from each other” explains Devdatta. “There has to be someone who leads you to your path, my parents played that role for me but after that it’s the individual artist’s responsibility to go deep into the subject.”

Here comes the critical question…. Who are the artists that inspire you? “The list is unending. Right from renaissance to the impressionists, may it be Michelangelo or a quality new artist. The compositions, the brushwork, I am inspired by several things ” he stresses on the fact that no matter what field, one should always appreciate what is go

od. “When I look at art, I don’t care whether the artist is famous or unknown, rich or poor, young or old… it’s the art that matters not the artist”.

Devdatta loves traveling to different places. “New places give you a different perspective on life. It makes you rethink which helps broadening my vision towards art and life in general! While talking about the future of art in India , the unprejudiced artist agrees that anywhere in the world, there is a blend of senior and a new breed of artists. The combination takes places only where the art could flourish and nurture. And that’s what matters the most. He sees this symphony in pune too. “The era of restricted art groups and specific art age is gone. Everything would be a blend of individual voices”.

On the fact that there are no great art colleges in pune, Devdatta confesses, “If there is no one to help you down your path, you need to make your own way. Ultimately it’s the artist’s own interaction with himself that gives birth to art”. “We can’t forget that some of world’s greatest artists are self taught.” smiles Devdatta.

Devdatta finds pune as crowded and chaotic as Mumbai. “Chaos does not inspire me” Devdatta admits. But there are several of great artists in pune with a nice influx of young and senior ones which gives hope to the art scenario.

The brief conversation with this artist ends up making you feel inspired. At such young age, an Indian artist holding exhibitions from Mumbai, to Delhi and recently in Italy is a matter of pride for all of us.