My Autobiography – My artistic pursuits! Was I the modern Leonardo Da Vinci?
When I was around 8 years old, I developed a sudden interest towards drawing and painting. It seems my artistic works were fairly good for my age, back then. I even got a third prize for one of my paintings in my school. I still remember that work of my art. It was not even 0.1% as good as the painting on the right. But still I got self-convinced that I was born to be an artist and that was my destiny.
As they say, we learn the basic facts of life the hard way.
A few years later, I was in a drawing class drawing and painting what I considered to be a bus traveling on a bridge over a river. It was a complicated drawing, but I had undoubted confidence in my skills and ventured to do it with gusto.
After sometime, I decided that I should show my masterpiece to my art master. I thought, ‘Let him also learn something. The poor man’. Upon inspecting my imaginative creation he said,
“Why is the bus falling off the bridge?”
“No. Its going on the bridge”
“It’s falling down from the bridge”
“No”
He called two guys from the front row. He asked them what they thought of the painting. Both of them concurred with his point of view. I was left wondering why people in this world don’t accept a contrary point of view? Why didn’t they see something that was evident?
No use.
But I was not to be undeterred by a couple of envious guys *aren’t the front bencher’s always like that?* and an ignorant art master. Wasn’t Einstein sent out of the class during his fourth grade class for not being able to ‘follow’ mathematics? The world has always been like that. Or so, I thought!
In order to showcase my talents on a larger scale, I decided to participate in an inter-school drawing competition. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to stun that art master and teach the two guys a good lesson. After all, they had interfered with my destiny!
I decided to draw (and paint) a scene from Mahabharata which I saw *and was impressed* in a book. It was the front view of Arjuna and Krishna riding their chariot with four horses, all of them facing the viewer. There was also a demon on the side which was spitting fire from its mouth. Some sparks were also coming out of the Chariot’s wheels, while Arjuna was aiming his arrow. Complicated drawing by any standards, but not for me!
I thought that was THE PAINTING. At last, I got one painting that resonated with my high level of artistic abilities. I just saw the picture for sometime and went straight to the venue without even practicing it. Do master painters practice for a hundred times? Did the kid in Taare Zameen Par practice his drawing a hundred times? Did Leonardo da Vinci…. Never mind 🙂
So, I went and started drawing and painting it. Many parents were allowed to wander around the venue to see what the kids were doing *primarily for satisfying their sadistic sense of amusement, I guess*
Some of the parents were good, actually. They came, saw my in-progress painting and said things like how we comment on other blogs – ‘Great work’, ‘Excellent post’, ‘Keep blogging’, ‘Awwww’, etc. Obviously, like how it happens with bloggers, my ego was inflated to a great extent. And that is an understatement.
One parent came by, stopped for a couple of minutes, examined my work of art and commented,
“Wow. Your scenery with mountains, clouds and sun is excellent”
My scenery? Lady, that was a scene from Mahabharata!!!!!! Not any scenery!!!!!!
That was it. THE END. I packed all my things immediately and with a new resolve not to paint once again in my life, I left the venue quietly but quickly.
I am a fast learner, you see 🙂
Destination Infinity
PS: It should be obvious by now that the painting on this page is not my work. It is some copyright expired work of someone called Robert Bolton. Just in case you had a doubt… Did you? 🙂
ha ha 😀 I really thought that it was yours but as I progressed in the article, I was bound to be proved wrong….
Loved the blogger comparison up there… 🙂
I thought I could declare it in the beginning itself (that I did not paint that picture), but I wanted to make it more interesting 🙂 . That blogger comparison comes after years of being fed up with such comments. Fortunately my blog readers are good, I find them in many other blogs though.
Destination Infinity
yes those are the wonder years where we can become soldier or artist or dancer anything and feel proud also.
Immediately after this, I guess I wanted to become an astronomer. Fortunately, I did a big favour to space science by not becoming one! 🙂
Destination Infinity
Didn’t it itch to draw after that?
No. Seriously… 🙂
Destination Infinity
Hey !! What a coincidence !! I have also blogged about Da Vinci.
Certain things come easy to somebody and to others it does not. The secret is one should divide the hobby further. For e.g. Drawing should be further divided to cartooning, landscape painting, sketching figures, water coloring etc. Now you choose. Cartooning you said. Then RK Laxman, Ninan, Sudhir Dar or Madan type? Further dividing will give you peace.
Anyway, food and money are the only requirement for an Indian and now I have realised that I should concentrate on these two. It makes me happy, this way.
I like the idea of sub-dividing hobbies. It sort of makes it simpler and gives more clarity on what one wants to do. While food and money are important, most of us live our lives on weekends and we need some hobby to remain sane/live-up on those two days.
Destination Infinity
This is the most funniest post you have ever posted DI!!! 😀 😀
Enjoyed it!!! we always have immense faith in our ability then.. 🙂
I tend to have an immense faith in something, till it is proved wrong. After that I develop immense faith in something else 🙂
Destination Infinity
Self Actualization rather early:)
Everything happens for our own good, as they say! 🙂
Destination Infinity
The title is catchy!
This post has got your highest sense of humour!
Mahabharata scene looked like a scenery?! They are mean, D.I. You should have carried on!
I had the habit of drawing faces in each and every page – even in text books. Don’t know when I stopped it! Pleasant childhood memories are never ending!
I too had a habit of signing in all the pages, behind the notebooks, etc. Drawing faces? That should have taken some skill and efforts. I never had so much patience!
Destination Infinity
I too am a fast learner , I learnt very fast that I am the wrost painter , worst singer , actor, writer and a lot of things in the list ..
but hey you shud not have stopped people did find something in there if they thought it was a scenery other then mahabhartha scene 🙂
Maybe I should have painted a scenery. Then, they would have thought it was a Mahabharata scene?!!! LOL.
Destination Infinity
Well you can try now. Maybe you did present an alternate perspective and people did not get it.
I can try now, but its a huge risk. I mean, HUGE 😀
Destination Infinity
Arey, I thought that was your work on the right. sigh !
I loved your spirit in school – going on with gusto and all that.
but I must admit I did have a good laugh at your expression about it being a scene and not a scenery.
It happens to most of us, doesn’t it? We do want to cling onto our own notions 😛
Do you draw once in a while atleast by any chance?
How much I wish that it was my work. Bus alas, no.
During the mandatory art-classes, I used to draw. But that got over by 9th standard. After that, I never drew/painted anything. Decisions need to be backed up by solid actions! 🙂
Destination Infinity
you know what I read–I read about this young person who had so much of self esteem and confidence and dreamt big:):) It was lovely to read about your spirit. Do go back to painting–the hibernation would have done you good!
What I read from your comment: You want to read more funny articles like this at my expense… 🙂
Destination Infinity
hahaha. that was a fun read. 5 – 7 minutes of entertainment (don’t know how much time i took to read this one). i love such blogs.
i never understood how people paint or draw. even my works were not appreciated during school days.
great work! excellent post! keep blogging!
If I had understood how people paint or draw, I would have straight gunned to become better than my competitor – Leonardo Da Vinci. Thankfully, history didn’t seem to want such a blunder 🙂
Destination Infinity
everytime i read your autobiography…it reminds me of my past .. thankyou Rajesh!
Ha ha, many of us can relate to such things? 🙂
Destination Infinity
hahahaha hilarious read! want to see your bus painting! do you still have it?
No. I discarded it immediately after that year was over 🙂
Destination Infinity
Had you not written the last point, I would’ve thought this was one of your masterpiece DI! Haha..You should share your paintings/drawings then,,, you know perspectives differ from people to people..
We two think alike and are both bad in drawing 🙂 I loved your witty post. And loved the term fast learner, me too a fast learner.
It doesn’t matter how your painting appears to another. Imagine nobody other than you would see your art; paint like no one is watching. Then art will flow freely without an expectation to be rewarded or praised. You can just paint for the joy it gives you for a while. There’s nothing as perfect art!
Why walk away with the guilt of not trying enough? I hope to see you post one of your paintings in your blog soon.
I don’t remember painting much afterwards, and don’t intend to either! But I might, inspired by your comment 🙂
Destination Infinity
One and a half years now. Any inspiration? 😂
I not only learn quickly, but I don’t commit the same blunder twice 😛
Destination Infinity