Painter Wasim Kapoor now renews his bond with Kolkata Rickshaws

Kapoor, whose rickshaw series in 1986 had been widely accepted by the art cognoscenti and later went under the hammers, says the plight of hand-rickshaw pullers in the scorching heat in this summer again struck his soul and he decided to make a second rickshaw series.

"In my locality of Prafulla Sarkar Street in central Kolkata I saw them resting on the cramped, tiny seats under the sizzling midday sun, running with the vehicle in 43 degree temperature with passengers who would haggle foreven Rs 5 for a 3-4 km distance. Their plight moved me and and may have inspired to do another series which will be again done on my favourite medium (of oil/canvas)," Wasim tells IBNS here.

Wasim was talking on the sidelines of inauguration of the world environment day art exhibition 'Prakriti Spriha where paintings, sculptures and other art works symbolically depicting the violation of mother earth were put on walls.


"From the 'Jesus Christ' to street children (who are little angels-Christ) to the ubiquitous Richshaw - I derive my ideas from the social reality from the omnipresent sufferings of humanity. The rickshaw series will too bear that stamp," the  painter says.

About his association with this city, he says, "From my base in central Kolkata to the galleries in south, the streets I move around, this is my little world. I can't think about any other existence."

Wasim, who had in past admitted being inspired by the Dutch artist Rembrandt, feels the interpretation of a painter-sculptor's art work should best be left to the viewer.

"Otherwise art will be preachy."