Through working on this catalog I was introduced to Lok Chitrakar, one of the most established artists in Nepal for painting Paubhas. He’s a super chill dude, and his studio exudes peace (if peace is even possibly exuded). The kind of studio that has soft light coming through big windows with white drapes, a courtyard out front perfect for spacing out or smoking a thoughtful ciggy butt, and the silence you pretty much never find in Kathmandu.

Lok is really interesting to me, not only because of his quiet, humble personality, but how he is similar, and most of the time very different from the crazy artists I’m friends with. He’s a practical dude, unlike most artists I know, but he also places ideals in his paintings (like all nutty artists). Other than an understanding of form, color, composition, etc…, this is where a contemporary artist and him diverge quickly. He paints traditional paintings religious/philosophic/spiritual in nature. In his culture you can barely change them. Backgrounds and some details are up to the artist, but most of the painting such as the position the figure is in, who is in the painting, what they are doing; these are all rules written thousands of years ago. Very tradish, to use the parlance of our times.

Lok does well because of the west, and for that I can’t complain. He’s happy painting Paubhas because they are endemic to his culture. His last name, Chitrakar, literally means painter; he is simply part of that caste, his ancestors painted these same paintings. I guess that is what is so hard for me to understand, this is his Dharma (duty, law, way of life) and it will be his sons and his son’s son duty.

With all that said, buy his paintings they are wonderful!

Author: RC Cone
Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
Categories: nepal, photography
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