Sexy at 60: Flowery treat by Samir Mondal

More than 25 years ago,  at the Illustrated Weekly o f India, Samir  Mondal   made our then glum, snide,  portly and cunning politicians  look like works of watercolour art, he made them look beautiful even. He was an ocean of calm as he went about painting in the most casual manner, carrying out conversations with us simultaneously. Today, at 60, he extends that beauty  to his 60 watercolours on flowers, that are refreshing to look at and elevated the watercolour medium to that of oil.

He  was always smiling when  he used to paint his politicians and landscapes and in reality is always , affable, soft-spoken,  smiling, gentle, like his 10x6 watercolours of roses, daises, poppies, dahlias, chrysanthemums, tulips,  sunflowers, lilies et al…., when in singularity or embroidering awnings, bay windows, patios, entrances, etc.

His mastery over the difficult medium  of watercolor is so evident that wherever he chooses a colour to flow and stop, it will. Dashes of purple offset cloistered busy light  green  white fillings near awnings….. red poppies zoom out of the frame like in 3D…He has maintained the texture of archival paper throughout his works, thereby adding to the richness. His water-colours have never lost their originality, their innovativeness and their classic elegance, their freshness. His Mother Teresa portraits in this medium are truly among the best in the world and today in India, truly of the the all time great water-colorists.

He has participated in many important group exhibitions, including National Art exhibition of Lalit Kala Akademy (Delhi), Karnataka and Orissa , ‘Freedom of Expression’ and ‘Tribute to Mother Teresa’ by RPG Enterprises, 100 Years of Indian Cinema, People for Animals, Harmony shows, ‘Art with a Heart’ at National Gallery of Modern Art (Mumbai), ‘Celebrations-97’ at Napa Art Gallery (Nepal), ‘Confluence’ at Art Connoisseur Gallery (London) and Gallery Asiana (New York) in collaboration with Gallery Sumukha (Bengaluru). He has bagged many a award, including AIFACS (New Delhi), West Bengal State Academy Award (twice). Amazing work at 60. Wonder how far he’ll push the envelope at 70!