In the premises of the Government Museum & Art Gallery, Sector 10, Chandigarh, where light softly spills over canvases and whispers of creation linger, two artists of watercolor—Vijay Bakshi and Prem Kapoor—pay homage to the enduring beauty of their art.
Esteemed alumni of the College of Art, Chandigarh, they carry forward the luminous legacy of their mentor, the late Shri Baldev Rattan, a virtuoso of watercolor in his time. Guided by his teachings, both artists have journeyed through diverse creative landscapes, only to return to this most fluid and poetic of mediums.
Their exhibition, “Nature and Bliss,” is a serene confluence of art, memory, and the sublime—a celebration of the timeless spirit of watercolor.
Vijay Bakshi: Where Tradition Meets the Infinite Present
For Vijay Bakshi, art is a quiet symphony—its notes carried on brush and pigment, echoing both the past and the present. A man who once wove artistry into the logic of science, creating emblems of medicine’s triumphs, Bakshi’s return to watercolor feels like the crescendo of a forgotten melody.
Now retired, he listens closely to nature’s whispers—its fleeting hues of morning mist, the shifting gold of afternoon light, and the quiet melancholy of dusk. His hands, skilled in the delicate dance of wet-on-wet washes, bring forth landscapes where time seems to pause. Soft layers of glazing invite the viewer into depths unseen at first glance, while the bold strokes of his dry brush add life, texture, and spirit.
In Bakshi’s work, there is a harmony between the tangible and the imagined, where digital tools amplify what the heart sees. A camera captures a moment’s fragility; his brush immortalizes it, unearthing nature’s quiet joy with both precision and poetry. Each painting is a testament to his ability to bridge tradition with innovation—a celebration of creativity unbound.
Prem Kapoor: The Alchemy of Passion and Purpose
If Bakshi’s art is a symphony, Prem Kapoor’s is a soulful meditation. His journey through creative landscapes speaks of transformation—a constant unearthing of new selves. As a master of serigraphy, Kapoor once played with layers of color and texture, crafting pieces that pulsed with quiet brilliance. He shared his knowledge generously, nurturing generations of artists at institutions like the Chandigarh College of Art and Lalit Kala Academies.
Yet it was in the stillness of the pandemic that Kapoor rediscovered the whispering magic of watercolor. In his hands, the brush becomes a tool of reverence—a quiet prayer to nature and life itself. Wet washes flow like dreams across his canvas, hues bleeding into one another with a softness that only watercolor allows. Layers of glazing cast a quiet light, revealing depth both physical and spiritual, while dry-brush textures evoke raw emotion—untamed yet delicate.
To Kapoor, each painting is not merely a work of art but a journey through memory and meaning. His brush dances between reverence for tradition and a thirst for discovery, capturing the unspoken language of life itself.
Two Souls, One Canvas of Legacy
Together, Vijay Bakshi and Prem Kapoor breathe life into watercolor, a medium both delicate and eternal, fluid and unwavering. Guided by the teachings of Shri Baldev Rattan, their works resonate like echoes of an old song carried into a new age. Each canvas is a mirror of light and life, moments suspended in timeless reverie.
This exhibition—“Nature and Bliss”—is not simply a display of skill; it is a sanctuary for the viewer’s spirit. It invites us to pause, to look beyond what the eye sees, and to lose ourselves in the gentle embrace of color and form. For in their strokes lies a shared legacy—a celebration of art that transcends generations, binding teacher and student, past and present, earth and soul.
“Nature and Bliss” is on view daily at the Government Museum & Art Gallery, Sector 10, Chandigarh, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. until December 24th (Monday closed). Under the aegis of the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi, this exhibition stands as a quiet ode to the timeless beauty of watercolor—where nature meets bliss, and art meets eternity.
Written by : Artist Viney Vadhera
