Shimazaki: the master of perspective

Flicking through any English language dictionary will show many meanings of the word: perspective. But there's one meaning that fits to the T in the context of the exhibition being talked about—The technique of representing three-dimensional objects and depth relationships on a two-dimensional surface. It is fully understood after a quintessential Hiroshi Shimazaki experience. The landscapes he conjures up for us seem to have more sense of dimensions than the human eyes gazing at them. In that, he is a master at ‘perspective'. Through water colour, what the man brings into life is nothing less than the surreal trapped in a canvas.



For those who came in late, Hiroshi Shimazaki describes himself as a geographer and an ‘aspiring' landscape painter. Alexander Pope's famous phrase ‘humility with a hook' briefly flashes across the mind as Shimazaki's paintings come to life in front of one's eyes. ‘Aspiring' is too little a word when it comes to Shimazaki's brushstrokes. The Nehru Centre auditorium is hosting Shimazaki's latest exhibition. Titled ‘The Way We See It', the exhibition showcases Shimazaki's field sketches of diverse ‘Indias' over a period of 30 years. And it is impossible not to feel a slight sense of shame as one takes in the myriad colours. Shame at not having seen more than half of the India this Japanese artist has immortalised in colour. Shimazaki's each work comes with the inescapable melancholy of not being present in the subject which in this case happens to be the breathtaking landscapes this peninsula offers.



The exhibition offers an added feature. Commentary by art critics Anant Deshpande, Sameer Deshpande and Amrita Deshpande. However, Shimazaki's work is for each individual to decipher and figure out what it means for him. For, it is a portrayal of the world as it is—and can anything be more subjective than that? That landscapes are his first love is a fact that screams out ‘obvious' right through the canvas. His rendition of an evening puja at Pushkar in Rajasthan is nothing less than a visual treat. Kolkata with its famished rickshaw pullers as the central theme is a rather gloomy take on the city, one of its truths nonetheless. Another one titled ‘Paving the way' is striking in its interplay of colours. ‘Kota' too becomes a city retold on Shimazaki's canvas. "Diu Fort' is another excellent work.



"For me, landscape painting offers access to revelations of natural process, evocations of
history and potentialities of human action embodied in each place. It also offers an invitation to philosophical reflection and emotional release," says Shimazaki. ‘The Way We See It', in that sense, is a fascinating inquiry. Whether the questions are answered by these emotion-heavy landscapes is beside the point. What questions we ask, is what is of paramount importance. Stepping out, Shimazaki has definitely persuaded yours truly of one thing. It's time to pack the bags.


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