Paris-based artist Olaf Van Cleef once read a story about gems, which were placed under protection in a Ganesha temple near Golconda, Hyderabad. The Mughals destroyed the temple and Golconda Fort and the gems were moved to Delhi. Later, he visited the tomb of the last Mughal Emperor of India and saw a picture of Bahadur Shah Zafar completely covered in jewels. The crown was made with the Golconda diamonds and feathers. This gave Olaf the inspiration to use precious gems in his paintings. The acclaimed artist is in Chennai to showcase his artworks in DakshinaChitra later this month. In a chat with us, he talks in detail about his paintings and more.
A member of the Van Cleef family, who were jewellers to the Czars, Olaf has been painting since childhood. “I took it up as a means of relieving boredom during sleepless nights. During these endless hours, I would take up my brushes — some very fine ones with just a single hair — don three spectacles, one on top of the other, and start painting some abstract works. Some were colourful and vibrant and were often dotted with tiny white points of paint applied with superfine brushes,” begins Olaf.
Though his abstract work had a lot of takers, his paintings with Swarovski crystals gained wider attention. “I was fascinated by the stones, all my life. So, when I got attracted to that, I decided to give it a try. I began painting Hindu deities based mainly on calendar art and Tanjore paintings. While these paintings were exquisitely detailed, I gave them a humorous twist, which gave them a touch of individuality. I added precious and semi-precious stones that give them a third-dimensional effect,” he adds.
Olaf had to be careful about symbols used in these paintings as they were all derived from tradition. “Detailing was very vital to their aesthetic appeal and I was very conscious about the paintings because I didn’t want to hurt people’s sentiments,” Olaf mentions, adding that his paintings have three dimensions — symbolism, imagination and realism.
The former counsellor of high jewellery for Cartier says his inspiration for art to a great extent is from India. “You have the peacock, the elephant, the tiger, and then there are the gods and goddesses decked in fine jewellery. It’s all very amazing and as an artist, it gives me the freedom to explore,” he says.
Olaf, who is a keen observer of art, says that people are investing in his art and most of his artworks adorn many pooja rooms in India. “When I do god and goddesses, I do a special effort in the jewellery in each painting because I know how important the jewellery is in India and also how gods and goddesses are the base of Hindu culture.” A huge fan of Ravi Varma’s paintings, Olaf is also inspired by the works of Jamini Roy and Paritosh Sen.
