“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Being willing is not enough, we must do.” - Leonardo Da Vinci. Well, the Old Masters certainly ‘did’. When it comes to art, the foremost artists who gave definition and soul to it were the Italian artists of Europe. In fine art, the term ‘Old Master’ traditionally refers to great European painters practicing during the period roughly AD 1300-1830. The art of the European masters, be it the flawlessly executed Monalisa by Leonardo Da Vinci or the exemplary work of Gustav Klimt, thrived on techniques and lighting. Rembrandt, as an artist, has been very well known for that.
Meanwhile Ashish Patel’s story - from being an artist doing his Bachelor’s in Pune to having moved to Florence - is inspiring too. Originally from Bihar, Ashish Patel is hosting his workshop at Shiny Colours Bengaluru, which aims at glorifying and interpreting the techniques that the old masters used, which he learnt in Italy as an artist. Ashish currently works as a Faculty of the Angel Academy of Art, Florence, Italy.
The journey of his tryst with art started since childhood, when, as a young budding artist, he was very fascinated with human form and nature. As he grew older, there was always an urge to study in one of the best art schools in the world which was a dream bound to be fulfilled. With the help of one of his friends, he came to know there are some ateliers in Europe that teach classical painting and that is how he came across the Angel Academy of Art. Says Ashish, “I always admired the work of Jeremy Lipking, a contemporary realist painter from California, and masters such as Raja Ravi Verma, Sargent, Ilya Repin, Leonardo da Vinci, among others. After I was selected for The Angel, I came to know that to master the classical painting techniques one must have sound knowledge of colour, value and edges. After learning and teaching at the academy for almost seven years, I want to share my knowledge through a demo and workshop and I thank Rashmi Soni for sharing her space Shiny Colours for this.”
This is Ashish’s second time in Bengaluru. Last year, he displayed at Venkatappa Art Gallery and his show was well appreciated. Through his unique techniques, which he has learnt in Florence, he intends to impart the knowledge about how Europeans have always laid emphasis on light and shade. This is what makes their art famous. The whole idea behind doing this demo and workshop is to interact with the people who are really interested in learning how to paint like old masters, using their techniques, which can also be applied to contemporary art.
