Faceless women adorned by flowers, playing with them or simply surrounded by them constitute artist Kaushik Roy’s latest series of paintings.
He had, until recently, been a self-confessed admirer of portraits. He wanted to do something new, which led to paintings in acrylic, which he clubbed with his autistic son’s paintings and called the series — ‘Jugalbandi 2’.
Kaushik proclaims that because “acrylic has an element of uncertainty in the way it might blend the colours, it has the power to produce something unique”. And it has clearly done that, delivering his desired result at the same time — to bridge the gap between human beings and nature.
While Kaushik’s penchant for nature is new, his 21-year-old son Orko Roy has always displayed love for nature through his canvases.
“I think it’s an autistic trait. He’d hug trees, show extra care towards animals — the buffalo and the dog are his favourites!” says the father, adding they have a pet Boxer at home, who is Orko’s best friend.
“His favourite passtime is to visit the roadside cattle-shed. It’s like going to office for him, he has to visit them regularly,” says Kaushik. Orko now wants a farm in a village, where he could keep all his animals and go on drives with his village friends.
Interestingly, Kaushik, who developed a career in advertising and marketing, had stopped painting and picked up the brush only for his son.
And Orko found a sense of purpose. Back home in Kolkata, where Orko’s living with his grandma and studying art, he’s made new friends, thanks to his distinctive paintings.
A few years ago, Kaushik’s love for cinema had translated into a film, Apna Asmaan, starring actors Irrfan Khan, Rajat Kapoor and Anupam Kher.
Ask Kaushik if he has another script ready and he says, “Today cinema is a commercial business and requires a lot of money. And because my subject is not usual, unless it has backing from, say NFDC, and recognition in the form of a known face, it’s difficult. People watched Taare Zameen Par because it had Aamir Khan in it, among other things,” Kaushik reasons.
“As of now, my idea is still premature. It needs an international cast and it will be a story about an autistic child finding a companion. Even though parents would like to think that their child is a mere trophy, the willingness to accept a handicap has to come naturally,” Kaushik signs off, as his eyes trail Orko lovingly.
