No eyes for Painting

When I was a school girl, bunking classes was not much of the option, as they used to lock the gate to stop us within the gate of school or say inside the Bal Mandir premises. But when I look back its strikes me now, that Bal Mandir itself was such a huge place which covers big areas, that we need not get out of the premises, unless we have to.

As for bunking classes, when we were in about sixth or seventh standard, the art exhibition at the NAFA art gallery gave us the perfect way out from bunking those boring classes after day time snacks. As far as I can remember, NAFA art gallery hardly used to be out of exhibition. Those exhibitions used to gather the good crowd of people from outside, in the Bal Mandir. Perhaps, it was the only art exhibition in those days to give the podium to all the artist to be seen in the bigger market and also meet the potential buyers. Some of of those art exhibitions also used to get the openings from the Royals, which made it news also meaning more crowd flocked in.

So visiting those art exhibitions in big hall, corridor like long ones provided much needed escape from those regular classes. Its not that, I was very fond of paintings and had eyes for it. In fact I never had eyes for paintings or art until, I saw paintings by Manish Lal Shrestha.

Some times, NAFA art gallery used to exhibit, rows and rows of paintings by various artist at the same time, which used to keep busy even a child like me, who had least interest in anything but paintings. I did not even understood the meaning of those paintings, yet I used to take a stroll of those long corridor like, hall with hundreds of paintings for exhibition.

Its very strange that I used to take a stroll, regularly almost all the painting exhibitions. Yet; never understood and never ever gained a slightest interest in those painting, never tried to understand. And those abstract paintings, which made no sense to me, not yet. I have to borrow the words from Satish Shah, an Indian Comedian, who says on his famous series Sharabhai v/s Sharabhai for the abstract art “oh ! those painting you can hang on the wall from any side and yet people won’t even notice which side is up or down.” I so love this line about the abstract art and could not agree with him more on this.

I do remember spending times in front of nude pictures and giggle, but did not have a brain to think, who could have posed for the artist ? Did not even wonder, the question never crossed in my mind or any of my friend. Just stay in front of it and giggle looking at and pointing some private parts of the art. We must have passed some nasty comments, in front of the artist, without even knowing who he was.

Its really strange that those easy excess, to all painting exhibitions, never missed, yet; had no interest in it, and never ever grown any interest in it also. Even today when I visit banks specially Nepal Investment Bank, I do stop by in front of paintings and do spend some time in front of it that others, but my favorite is paintings by Manish Lal Shrestha. I like those big paintings on the bank’s wall, not in my room.

Oh yes ! when I lay my eyes on the his paintings, bright color blending captures my attentions so quickly and at the same time it sends my mind in deep tranquility and still mode despite its vibrant color selection by the artist. I have seen paintings by him abstract art only. That bell, which is his signature mark on most of his paintings, if not for all; some what seem to be sending the sign to remain calm my pressure and all the nerves in my neuron system, pulling all the things at once to calm me down. His art works wonder on me and my mind. It seem to be working on me on my all kind of moods. I never ever had eyes for painting but his work is, a pure exception.

When I look back and remember, all those painting exhibitions, I understand now that we have to see some things, throw our minds eyes, not just the eyes that meet it; specially when it is some thing, like paintings which is a creative work.