Jassaswi Mohapatra has a flair for painting nature. He also creates paintings on spiritual themes, portraits and still life. Jasasswi paints landscape themes on canvas in a manner that few painters in Odisha can do. He creates magic on canvas with colour and brush.
A graduate of BK College of Art in Bhubaneswar, Jassaswi’s paintings are a true celebration of life. His work has vibrancy and a profuse amalgamation of colours. His paintings show off a variety of hues even though he uses limited colours. He modifies the forms of figures within a balanced composition that is both contemporary and deeply rooted in the traditions of figurative art.
Son of Mahendra Prasad and Gayatri Mohapatra, Jassaswi Mohapatra is a resident of Nuapada, Cuttack. He has been passionate about painting since his school days. The teachers in his school used to advise the students to focus on sports, dance, music and other forms of art, but Jassaswi concentrated on painting and crafts.
Jassaswi was inspired by his father to take up painting. He says, “A child always imitates his father and I did the same. My father is a popular artist who only uses his left hand. I learnt all about art from my father. From my childhood, I used to copy images from books to my slate. Whenever I would get crayons and pencils, I would start drawing. I participated in many art competitions in the twin cities as a child. I won my first award for painting a variety of Ganesh figures on a single canvas frame. The award inspired me to become a painter.”
A student of Guru Choudhary Satya Das, Jassaswi Mohapatra has also tried his hands at crafts. “For painting we need a balanced approach and it is the same for craft. The difference is we use a variety of instruments, including brush, for colouring the craft. I can make thousands of designs of Ganesh out of clay and plaster of Paris,” he says.
Winner of many awards for painting and crafts, Jassaswi is keen on encouraging talented children. He says, “Kids are like clay moulds who can be shaped better if we start training them at a young age.”
A founder member of Odisha Chitra Kala Akademi (OCKA), Jassaswi Mohapatra is a teacher by profession. He has organised several exhibitions in Cuttack. During Makar Sankranti, OCKA organises painting exhibitions in Cuttack and honours budding artists to encourage them.
Jassaswi conducts painting competitions for children across the state during the Kataka Baisakhi Banijya Mela, Cuttack every year. “It’s usually based on a theme related to conserving nature and this year the theme was “Save Elephant.” These competitions are meant to make the children aware of nature and in return seek their ideas on saving the environment.”
About his work and plans, Jassaswi says, “I work on spiritual themes in a surrealist style and I have always tried to express human emotions through my paintings. I also try to show how to live a free life in this materialistic world. Many artists of Odisha leave the state to earn better elsewhere. I want to open an art village in Odisha, where people will be trained in different art media, and conduct international art competitions in this village. It will help Odia people to excel in the field of art and craft and compete at the international level.”
SOYONG,OP