The year 2025 was proved to be really a great year in terms of my artistic journey as many of my dreams came true in this timespan. Dreams...some were seen very long ago n somewhere lost with the time and also the ones never seen but came to life as a God's golden blessings.Among them my most awaited one was to learn my favourite subject in a proper manner from basics to its core. Since my childhood, I was never a technical one...actually I always enjoyed languages and art more than other subjects. But both fortunately and unfortunately, I scored good marks in 10th and like a social rule I step in engineering field - The most technical, most hated subject.Both my favourite subjects remain with me as hobbies.Whatever I had learnt till then have blossomed further, its fragrance reached so far but the true essence which I always wanted to acquire was somewhere missing. It flourished to a great extent when I came in contact with APSC. It is a great fortune to have a personality like Padmashree Achyut Palav as a guru in the most favourite subject. This year, Vikrant Shitole sir came into my life as another great guru , as if to rekindle such fate.And in the form of 'Foundation course' conducted by him, the subject of painting in true sense got the direction it always wanted.
This 8 month duration course started in last February and a new most awaited chapter gets opened in my life. People finds drawing and painting a very easy and neglected subject but it is actually a difficult and much valuable art form, because its not just one subject but also a study of various sections and art of blending it together in a most creative manner...Which is really not an easy task. The most important part which I liked about this course is here I learnt each of these section in a deep and detailed manner and while doing so I started knowing myself and the potential within me which gets executed in a very systematic way till the end of this course. It's complete credit goes to the deeply studied and organised syllabus developed according to every student and of course Vikrant sir who created such a great pattern and make us experience Art as a true blessing. He made us think like an Artist...feel like an Artist...live like an Artist. We are around 35 student came together on online platform. After first day introduction session, I came to know most of them reached till this end following their one missing dream - 'Embrace art and live with it'. Everyone is from different educational and occupational backgrounds, but one thing is common among us - We all find our true happiness in Art.Till today, we all never met with each other but still we are very well connected as the course is designed in such a perfect manner. No one is perfect in every subject but everyone has something unique which can be learnt and grasped by each one to create a great team for future. When you are in art field, it is very important to respect and appreciate each other's work as well...this rare quality I found in this group.And I really appreciate and feel lucky about it.
This complete subject is very vast...learning it in 8 months is a challenge. But we believed our sir and accepted this challenge and move ahead on the real path - Science-Technique-Knowledge-Art. As we initiated walking on this road and started collecting new art feathers which slowly changed my mind's vision. Just creating drawing on paper is never a true true art...Art is always takes shape in our mind first, then it drench into the colours of feelings and can be expressed in front of the world with most expensive n unique brush of everyone's life - The artistic hands. Every hand creating art is Devine. In the first class itself sir introduced us to indian art culture and we came to know about vital role played by our ancient literature like Chitrasutra and Natyshastra. It was a surprise to know how the actual meaning of Art was described long ago by Maharshi Vatsayan in Kamsutra.
It goes as follows,
रूपभेद: प्रमाणानी भावलावणीयोजनं। सादृश्यम वार्णिकाभंग इति चित्र षडंगकं ।।
If I want to summarise Vikrant sir's foundation course then above shloka describes it very well. This each word means a long session for us which slowly clubbed together to form an actual art. Like these epics, Vikrant sir keeps on sharing about other famous artists books, their works as well as the history which is an important part for any art form. keep on sketching whatever you see in front of you without any hesitation about the place or time, Keep the artist inside you alive at each and every moment which is the best quality of any artist.Vikrant sir's these words actually changed my vision looking at everything. From that day onwards, my eyes and brain are very well trained to see the beauty in every particle of the universe. I wish every art school should bring such change of vision. As Sir himself is an Animator and I have a special memory attached with animation so I got emotionally connected with his stories about animation field. In this way, day by day we all got updated with lots of knowledge in such different fields as well. One best thing which sir always love to share with us is Vipashyana. Believe me before this I had very different perspective about Vipashyana as may be heard from wrong sources. But like art, this perspective also changed in few days and vipashyana became a part of my life's bucket list. Sir keep on travelling different places for workshops, exhibitions which is really very inspiring for a person like me. He keeps on sharing his experiences of these travel diaries with us making us experience every bit of it. For eg. In this year, places like Ladakh and russia were visited by sir but the narratives and visuals were so friendly that we all had equally enjoyed that tour.
Syllabus is consists of subjects like Color theory, perspective, Human Anatomy, Construction, Calligraphy, Shading which is normally taught in many art schools but it is very difficult to find such teacher who teaches everything he has so selflessly, in best easy way, and at the same time never trying to just self-impose his learnings on others but help us as a true mentor to find the hidden talent in each of his student. It is very important to make the base of this each subject so strong so we can mould and blend it in our own creative way...and this is called the real Art. Like Gauche medium was handled by many of us for the first time, so faced many difficulties but we learnt ourself from the problems and self realised solutions which was the real learning. How to handle situations is also a real art. One thing I learnt here is nothing is impossible... Any critical problem can be solved by breaking it into small portions and then try to solve it step by step and gradually we realise the aim is not so far. Just creating realism is not the real art...but art is something which becomes unique when our personal creative touch works on any real reference. Light, photography, composition equally plays important role and this I experienced while working for still life exercises. To make something beautiful, it is necessary to create an attractive and valid arrangement. All this we grasp slowly which is clearly visible in everyone's work now. This is the real success for any teacher and student as well.The best part of this syllabus was the last chapter - Abstract. Abstract is so natural and at the same time it is very very difficult to understand and maintain this simplicity in order to execute something unbelievable.This part allows us to temporary sideline the well disciplined and structured learnings of these 7 months sessions and involve completely to search yourself. I remember before starting the actual abstract work, sir had seriously spent around 2-3 sessions on just making us understand the core of art, true meaning of emotional connection with it. And when we were ready with this bond then the complete canvas was made available and open for us to just for experimenting without any planning. I can say this journey from 'Flaws should be avoided' to the 'How flaws can be so beautiful'...each and everyone enjoyed this session where step by step each art element come to help us to express different feelings on paper.No rule for any shape or composition...just getting drenched into true feelings and pour it down with colors of free mind...Finally, at the end whatever comes in front of eyes is something so innovative and incredible.Who made this magic happened?...the answer is the best version of yourself which is now helping the hidden artist to come forward and do more such miraculous works. But all this is only possible when the most difficult and sometimes feel-boring journey of those 7 months is successfully achieved.
Vikrant Sir....Thank you so much for creating such syllabus and executing it in this form for all the art seekers like us and blessing us with a great mentor in your form. When we say thanks to the face guiding us, helping us to learn something new, It is also important to have a great respect towards the invisible hands behind this project. Thank you Krupa mam for every help and continuous support. It is said that student not only learns the main subject from teacher but also inherited the good qualities from the knowledge giver. I wish one good quality of Vikrant sir of reaching others with appropriate knowledge and giving as much as possible should get inherited to each of his student so the true awareness about art will be spread in the society which is the real need for a best version of future generation.Actually, sir's class feels like a complete plate with full of varieties, emotions, knowledge and happiness which many times made us emotional and is satisfying with every result executed by us. Now just few days, and I will surely miss this delicious dinner...but I think the taste and mind which is changed in this timespan will remain forever and will be helpful in creating more miracles in near future.
- Rupali Thombare.
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