1. Jan-Feb 2011

NEWS and HAPPENINGS
“I will never stop creating art because this
is the responsibility God has given me.
And duty is God.” - D. B. Chitrakar
(SPACES -Jul/Aug 2008).
PASSING OF A LEGEND
D. B. Chitrakar, 1929 - 2010
An important chapter of modern Nepali Painting
came to a sad end with the demise of the
legendary DB on 22th Dec.’10 evening. It was
a sudden mild respiratory complication which
took away the great master from us. Dil Bahadur
Chitrakar - popularly known simply as DB to
many of his fans and the entire art fraternity,
and lovingly addressed as dear ‘Dil Dai’ (dear
brother) to many of his juniors including truly
yours - remains one of the last great painters
who ushered in and consolidated Nepali Painting
to a modern era. Born in 1927 to a traditional
artist family from Patan as the second son of
Jagat Bahadur Chitrakar, the life and art journey
of DB Chitrakar resembles an exciting fairy tale
with many interesting twists and turns.
A strange but remarkable beginning was made
when his mentor since his early days, the
legendary Tej Bahadur Chitrakar ( founder of
Western Realism in Nepal and also the then
head of Nepal Art School - the predecessor
of the present day Fine Art Campus), highly
impressed of DB’s early talents, decided to
make this young protégée appear straight
in the fifth year final exams of the six year
Fine Arts course! To Tej Bahadur it was for two
valid reasons. For one, he was sure that DB
had already possessed more skills and ability
than what was needed for the said exams.
And secondly, he wanted DB to possess an
academic credential so that he was well armed
to fight social battles in the days to come or
when needed. But not all were happy with the
decision then. And coincidently, during the
same period when the mentor christened his
favourite young pupil with the initials ‘DB’ so
as to make him distinct from other students
with the same name, little may he have
guessed that this short name would remain
immortal as one of the greatest artists of
Nepal.
DB did not disappoint his mentor. During
the exams, DB almost created a kind of
panic amongst the regular students while
doing a life study of a Buddhist monk as
an exam paper. His work, a water colour
painting, shined so bright and displayed
such an impressive strength, that the regular
students were confounded into jealously,
and stooped so low as to resort to damage his
exam work after the office hours – simply to
vent their anger.
Thus began the art journey of DB. The rest is
history. As the days passed, DB continued
to shine regardless of all the adversities and
hardships he had to face in pursuit to become
a dedicated painter. Initially he outpaced all
his contemporaries as an excellent magician
in water colours and then, he began to create
series of equally strong works in oil too. And
his subject matter always revolved around
what he loved the most - the life, people,
culture and the natural scenic grandeurs
of his country and the city he lived in. And
throughout, he was true to the core of what
he learnt from his mentor – the exquisite
display of consummated understanding of
academic fundamentals in forms and colours
– and a magnificent panorama of works all
based in Western style Realism. Although
he was within the realms of realistic forms
and colours, his works began to redefine the
meaning of figurative forms and an individual
affinity of colours – an obvious love for warm
colours specially ochre and brownish tints.
A real breakthrough and a visible shift of his
perception of art is seen after his three month
long stint in Paris and London during the late
sixties under a UNESCO grant. Highly inspired
and bombarded with the diverse images of
great masterpieces of the Western masters,
DB began to explore wider within his own
earlier forms and style – a strange panorama
where one can see the influences of many
of the important phases of Western Art like –
traces of Impressionism, Post impressionism,
Expressionism and so on. And he always liked
January-February 2011
to describe all the works within these thoughts
as ‘Semi-abstracts’.
But the truth is that DB in his heart always
remained fascinated and a true master of
academic forms to the core. This is probably
the reason that even after he remained well
celebrated for his ‘Semi-Abstracts’, he is found
to be coming back with strong works based
on Realism. Here he reminds one of a free bird
who is capable of soaring well high on the sky
but in the long run finds more comfort in his
own nest. DB‘s saga reads exactly the same.
And many of the naïve observers mistakenly
began to interpret this transformation and his
return to nature and people in his powerful
figurative as waning of his creative strength
in later times. But the irrefutable truth is that
DB remains in the art history of Nepal as one
of the most versatile and true artist who has a
unique understanding of art in thoughts as well
as in his expressions. Moreover, DB presents
a unique example of skills of an artist - equally
comfortable and consummated in any medium
he chooses to dabble –oil, water, pastel, crayon
or a simple piece of charcoal.
Conclusively speaking, the most striking and
the important facet of DB’s persona which
makes his head high in the crowd is his sense
of pride and dignity as needed in a creative
person. Today, when many so called new
generation modern painters have shown how
they can switch their political allegiances
and transforms themselves into common
sycophants, DB has left us some meaningful
examples on how to remain a true example.
An episode which occurred in the late sixties
during the final phase of Narayanhiti Palace
construction, describes how DB displayed a
courage and strength of an artist when he was
denied a promised task. He then and there
flatly refused to paint any more for the Palace
and the Royalty – and instead asked to return
to a humble job back in the Education Ministry.
But another artist who was also with him during
the period – later ended as an honourable
member of the then Royal Nepal Academy.
DB could have also chosen to capitalize his
royal connections to serve his interests, but
his sense of dignity and pride prevented him
from stooping so low. It is really hard to imagine
anyone with such a sense of self-confidence
and dignity. Salute to the great artist and a
great human being.
Alvida dear brother! - Madan Chitrakar
21
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