“Art is the only way to run away without leaving home” is what Twyla Tharp, the American dancer, choreographer and the founder of ‘crossover ballet’ – a mix of ballet and modern dance had remarked many years back. Could not be more true than in todays context, when this world right now is a canvas to our imagination.
Ask hundred people ‘What is Art?’ and they would probably come out with hundred different thoughts. But to me it’s an expression of lived experiences and the power of imagination. And an artist is one who leaves back his or her thoughts for us to ponder over. Like I did looking at the wall graffiti, as we sailed on Danube in Vienna while marveling at some of these creations. You could check out our complete experience on Vienna, Street Art & Danube.
Or another time when we were heading to Drottningholm Palace, The peace abode 🏛️ in Stockholm and we happened to have this Artist among us on board. He quietly found a corner and was soon on his job. Have a look at what he created.
Or this good friend of mine, Suchitra Srivastava. When I had posted this portrait picture clicked by me on my Facebook post from Copenhagen couple of years back, she sent me back her creation in flat two days time. And what a beautiful replica it was.
Artists and painters are a class in themselves and sometimes they can even visualize hearing or seeing the experiences of their family and friends too.
There is no doubt that travel, holidays and art come together to produce a powerful travel experience. This is so evident in Europe and other countries worldwide where there are huge queues to visit art galleries, museums and cathedrals to get an authentic experience of the culture through art and sculpture.
And then there are cities and streets dedicated to Art like Kiev in Ukraine and Bruges in Belgium and many more across the world.
But I expected none of this when I walked into this cute resort for my Stay in Goa at Athi Resorts, Bogmalo during my last holiday in January this year.
I was in for a pleasant surprise. Every room here had a name. Mine was Agra. And the hanging outside and everything inside took me back to those beautiful moments spent in Agra, the Taj Mahal city few years back. My next door neighbor Varanasi – A Spiritual destination, a favorite city of mine.
Innovative thoughts with Art punched in..
India is certainly the destination, when it comes to varied culture. And each region of ours boasts of its paintings related to their culture, which we feel so proud about. Get a glimpse of some of these Paintings in Indian Culture before I move on to share with you my further experiences of Art during this trip.
The next day while on a visit to our BITS, Pilani, Goa campus for our ‘Alumni Global Meet’, I noticed this area designated for paintings created by our fellow BITSians. It was named exhiBITS and one name there struck my imagination. Ajay Chandak. And most of his creations were just awe inspiring. Come have a look.
We soon became friends. An engineer from the same institution where I pursed my education, BITS Pilani and an MBA, Ajay has worked for many multinational organizations from India and abroad. Being in the Information Technology industry he takes out time to purse his passion.
Working with oil and acrylic paints, soft pastel, charcoal and mixed media, his art ranges from contemporary to ethnic abstracts, portraits and landscapes. He is quite in demand for solo and group exhibitions in India and has his paintings exhibited in some countries abroad.
I was feeling trapped having to cancel our summer trip and few other trips planned for the end of the year. So I called him up one fine morning and asked him to take me on a holiday. Here is what he dished out for me.
Hope you enjoyed the trip. How about a few of these paintings to decorate our house, office or factory? I have ordered a few for my home and they should be reaching me soon. You too could get in touch with him. To bring in the freshness indoors, as we struggle to go out.
And now this award winning painting in the’ Silver Category’ in the ‘International Online Art Competition’. There were 1794 Artists from 39 Countries who participated. And when I asked this down to earth, always smiling happy faced artist and painter ‘How do you feel?’ His answer was a simple ‘I am humbled to be in 120 Best Art Works Selected Artists’. That’s Ajay Chandak for you. Someone who brings freshness to this troubled world of today.
There are three primary elements in the painting ‘Give Peace a Chance’. The patchy, rough, textured background depicting disturbance, violence and atrocities in the society. The lady with closed eyes, despite surrounded by the rough environment, is trying to meditate to get some peace symbolized by the white pigeon in the foreground.
Nature and nature inhabitants seem to be shouting a message for us human beings right now. Stop your atrocities on us. And we will ‘Give Peace A Chance’.
Hope you loved it. PIN it for later
I love the art you’ve shared. It’s great to see some wonderful art in unexpected places such as your hotel. I remember visiting a lodge in Madhya Pradesh and seeing the most incredible mural with Gond art on the wall. Simply stunning!
Thanks Nish.These memories of ours are what stay for life.
Art really sets the tone for a destination. We stayed at a similar boutique hotel in Puerto Rico a few years ago. Each room was named for a different artist and had works (or prints) from that person. It was a truly unique place to stay with a maze of rooms in several connected houses. I’d go back in a heartbeat.
I have always been fascinated by art. I create and appreciate art of all forms. I enjoy going to museums and also strolling in cities with graffiti. I wish to see Kiev one day <3
it’s a very interesting approach to travels and I totally think works! thanks for posting this, I’ll apply it to my life
Art is a personal thing. There is no real correct answer to what it is. This being said I absolutely love your interpretation. The drawings are stunning and its an amazing memories captured. serene lake and mighty mountain are my favourite from this post. I will be more mindful to see what art is around me next time I travel
Art is definitely a very private definitely. It also evolves over time. I love when we find art in unexpected spots. Especially outside. How great to watch an artist work. I must admit it does make me wish I had some artistic talents! It is great when hotels feature unique art. Or showcase local art. A great way to make a place memorable.
How amazing is that street art! I would love to see that in person in Keiv, Ukraine. It is so cool that each room of the resort had its own ‘name’. I would love to stay in your neighbors’ room, being set up being a “spiritual destination”. What a creative touch! I’m happy to have learned about, Ajay Chandak. What I found interesting was learning that he uses multimedia style for creating his art. I love multi-media art! His ‘Nirvana’ piece looks so powerful. The first piece you posted that you purchased from him is amazing! The contrast of colors is brilliant! I am jealous! The takeaway here for sure is, “Give Peace a Chance”. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Kaitlin for appreciating my Art. I am glad that you liked my paintings. Yes Nirvana is one of my favorites too. It has got a new home in Denmark. I am happy to spread the joy through my paintings. Topping it all is the writings of Subhashish, I would love to travel with him and continue doing my Art.
Let me know when you come to India, i stay at Pune, near Mumbai. You are most Welcome to see my collection of Art. You can reach me on +91 9325801500 ajaychandakart@gmail.com
Thanks once again.
Thanks Subhashish for such a wonderful post.
Thank you Ajay.My pleasure.
What a wonderful trip through art! I love the idea. It always fascinates me when I look at art, to see what speaks to me and what doesn’t. Earlier in the week I went to pick up a painting from a friend to frame and hang in my office. Since my office is such a personal space to me, I’ve made it a point to only decorate it with art that my friends and/or family have created, adding a personal touch to my space.
Although I don’t do it often enough anymore, art has always been one of my hobbies. It lets me be creative and express myself. Your post and photos of the artwork are making me want to start back up again! Artwork is one of the top things I like to explore when I am traveling, I think it tells so much about the destination, culture, and people living there. Street art is one of my favorites! The Vincent Van Gough museum would be amazing to visit, I have loved his work since my teenage years. I would love to be able to see so many pieces of his work in real life.
This is such a great post, I love how you shared art from different places. You are right, people queue for a really long time to get into some of the famous museums to experience the historical paintings and sculptures first hand. Literature and art are definitely helping me to feel connected during this lockdown.