In this two-part interview, we speak to senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General of India, Sanjay Jain, about his love for collecting rare and beautiful things. Last week, we spoke about his collection of books and today we shine a light on his fine art collection. Excerpts from an edited interview:
Q: How did you develop an interest in fine art?
A: Having grown up in Delhi, I was fortunate to be able to visit many museums that displayed our cultural artefacts and beautiful art from a young age. Though I had this exposure, I didn’t have any knowledge of how to buy art and start my own collection. Hence, I didn’t touch it for the longest time. It was only when I became a senior advocate that I began indulging in my suppressed interests. This included collecting beautiful watches, rare fountain pens and other collectibles of a similar nature.
Around this time, my younger brother’s wife became an art dealer and opened Gallery Ragini. I also started doing some legal work with the mother-daughter duo Ajeet Cour and Arpana Caur. These incidents became my gateway to the Indian contemporary art scene. I was fond of collecting calendar art as well because it provided a window to a specific cultural moment, and tied in with my interest in mythology. Once I built up the knowledge, my first major acquisitions were six paintings by Freydoon Rassouli. He is an award-winning Iranian artist based in California best known for his unique style of Fusionart.
Q: What are the broad themes your art is focused on?
A: A lot of my art is either religious in theme or follows the history of India through major events like the Partition. I also commissioned artist Kangana Kharbanda to make a series of pencil sketches of people whom I have always admired, such as B. R. Ambedkar, Arun Jaitley and more. In fact, she also made a painting very close to my heart, that I envisioned when I was recuperating from Covid-19 in the hospital. In this painting, I visualised myself as a child holding the hand of Hanuman ji, whom I have idolised from childhood. He had been a protector in that low moment of my life and I wanted to pay homage to him. I’m also emotionally drawn to the immense pathos depicted in the work of Arpana Caur, which gives a perspective to the miseries faced by human beings and the constant endeavours of good souls who make sincere efforts to provide succour in their sufferings.
Q: With such a vast spectrum to choose from, how do you narrow down the artists you like?
A: My approach to collecting art has always been deeply personal and intuitive. I mostly pick up what I like. Therefore, my collection is an eclectic mosaic, reflecting a diverse range of artistic expressions. You can see the variety of my preferences reflected in the varied art works that are my favourites. There are those which depict my love of Hindu mythology including a Krishna painting by an artist called Ganesh Kumar, one by Vijaya Ved which has an unusual depiction of Krishna as a monk, and a lovely depiction of Manthan or the churning of the ocean in Hinduism.
Sudip Roy’s Charu Lata collection is a celebration of the female form of beauty rooted in the artistic tradition of Bengal. It seamlessly connects one to the cultural vibrations emerging from the land of Tagore and Sarat Chandra. Other works, made by senior artists like Ramesh Kumar, Alka Raghuvanshi, and Amitesh Verma never fail to amaze me with their boundless ability to use colours and bring forth symbolism in such manifest form so that I feel immediately connected to the ‘stated’ as well as the ‘unstated’ aspects.
The contemporary strokes of artists like Nisha Sharma, Vishakha Apte, Balesh Jindal, Seema Pandey and more, convey profound messages of life in a most subtle manner. They have blended lessons of life that nature teaches us unconsciously with multiple shades of human emotions in their meaningful work. I feel truly blessed to be floating in the vibes that their work has infused in our home and workplace.
Q: What do you feel is the importance of investing in fine art?
A: I buy art for my own happiness, for my inner peace and satisfaction. I enjoy being surrounded by artistic things and the positive energy they create. I’m also immensely grateful to the universe that has made it possible for me to have access to these things – whether it’s art, books, watches, pens or neck ties. They give me so much pleasure in so many ways.
I believe that my art has enriched my life, has aided me in honing an analytical mind. This automatically enhances and strengthens my professional persona as well, as I believe everything is intricately linked. Art has always been an invaluable source of inspiration for me. It helps me add value to my professional work and fuels my creativity. The broad horizons that I can see through my art collection, have honed my ability to view legal challenges through a different lens. The spirituality of art complements my legal career by offering a serene counterbalance to the demanding nature of law and it also enriches my life by providing a deeper sense of purpose and connection to the world. Art has taught me the importance of exploring every narrative’s depth, which I feel is an invaluable yet rarely used skill in courtrooms.
Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com.