RAW BEAUTY and MYSTIC POWER (The Alps and The Himalayas)

Raw Beauty and Mystic Power (The Alps and the Himalayas)

My current series of paintings is based on the Alps and the Himalayas, titled as “Raw Beauty and Mystic Power.”

As I travel and paint in different regions of these two mountain ranges during different seasons, I observe a vast diversity of flora, fauna and cultures. I also observe that climate change, expanding infrastructure, and excessive commercialization have made these mountain ranges, notably the Himalayan range, extremely susceptible.

My paintings therefore aim to raise consciousness about the importance of conserving, protecting, and living in harmony with the natural world.

My artistic journey across the alpine regions of the Alps and the Himalayas is ongoing as I paint smaller as well as larger works on locations, mostly plein air. For me, painting on location gives the real vibe and genuineness of the place as I get absorbed in the environment and paint.

My paintings aren’t documentation but artistic impressions. I also highlight the parallels and differences I observe between the two mountain ranges through my paintings. In core alpine regions, with vast areas devoid of human presence, the entire landscape appears serene and mysterious at the same time. The sheer grandeur of both the Alps and the Himalayas is breathtaking as I have tried to recreate the atmosphere and sensation of being present in close proximity to these majestic mountain ranges.

Devdatta Padekar

Devdatta Padekar studied at Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting in 1999, followed by a Master of Fine Arts in Portraiture in 2001. On both occasions, he stood first with distinction.

He later won the British Chevening Scholarship and earned a Master of Art in Drawing in 2005 from Camberwell College of Arts in London. A full-time painter, Padekar gets his greatest inspiration from nature, exploring themes in nature that inspire and challenge him as an artist. The core essence of his paintings has always been to conserve, protect and live in harmony with nature. Padekar has won several awards nationally and internationally. He is also the recipient of Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Award in Canada in 2006.

Devdatta Padekar has also been invited to various Artist-in-Residence Programs like NAIRS Artist-in-Residence and Fellowship, Switzerland, Nellimarkka Museum Artist-in-Residence, Finland, NES Artist-in-Residence, Iceland, Villa Sonnenberg Artist-in-Residence, Switzerland and Valdis Buss Plein-Air Symposium, Latvia.

He has had 13 solo shows to date, and his paintings are in the collections of the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, the Vilaka Art Museum, Latvia, and private collections in India and abroad.