Gopinath Roy - An Eternal Journey of A Creative Soul

Chittrovanu Mazumdar

From the time when we were students at Government Art College, where he was our senior, and then later as a fellow-artist, Gopi-da always earned both my liking and respect. The first for his unfailing kindness and generosity, his readiness to help and respond to any request or guidance; the latter for his undoubtedly strong grasp and understanding of materials and the technical aspects of his craft. Gopi-da was also deeply committed to his work, a dedication that remained undiminished till the end.

Many have spoken of his sculpture. Jogen-da described it as ‘poetry in stone.’ Subhabrata Nandi talked of the musicality of his works, calling them ‘three-dimensional musical sensations.’ Their lyrical quality, the freshness of the colours, the fluidity with which he was able to render intransigent materials like wood, metal, stone, the unexpected sense of space and vast vistas he was able to evoke in his tiny, gem-like pieces, and the playful quality that permeates them, are worthy of admiration. We can also appreciate the influence on his approach of his jewel-craft family legacy, and the natural landscapes he spent so much of his teaching life amidst in rural or small-town Bengal. Combined with his aesthetic eye, they came together to create charming pieces that continue to delight and please us.

But it is particularly important to me to acknowledge and honour his qualities as a human being, his warm and giving nature which made him someone to whom we turned unhesitatingly when we needed help or guidance in our work, knowing that he would willingly share his extensive knowledge and experience with us, asking nothing in return. His familiarity with obscure workshops and master-craftsmen working away tucked into hidden gallis and by-lanes of our city was unprecedented. Not everyone would have been open to sharing such hard-to-come-by information, but Gopi-da never hesitated. I warmly recall how, despite his ill-health (he was on regular dialysis for his kidney condition) he took me to one such tiny place and introduced me to the expert working there, when I was searching high and low for someone to solve a particular technical issue I was facing, regarding working with metal. My job was done satisfactorily, thanks to Gopi-da’s kindness and his deep understanding of materials, which made him immediately recognize the problem and who would be the best person to solve it.

As someone who works with a wide range of materials myself, and knows only too well the varied technical challenges they throw up, I can only salute his expertise. It takes a lifetime of passion, learning and practice to develop such insight and skills. Moreover, he was able to apply them admirably in his art, as we can clearly see.

Gopi-da will live in our memories for his remarkable qualities, just as his works will continue to attract new audiences with their attractive combination of the miniature and finite and the vast and infinite.

India’s leading expressionist artist Chittrovanu Mazumdar Born in Paris in 1956, studied painting in Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris before attending the Government College of Art and Craft in Kolkata, where he graduated with First Class First in painting in 1981. He received his initial art education from his father, the renowned Indian Modernist painter Nirode Mazumdar (1916 –1982). Major exhibitions of Chittravanu Mazumdar’s work have been presented in Kolkata, Dubai, London, Mumbai, New Delhi, New York, Palo Alto, Paris, Rome, Singapore and Salzburg, among other places.