Lalitha Lajmi

Q.What made you begin to paint? What is your earliest memory as an artist? And what is the fondest memory you have?
As a child, right from the age of five, I've always wanted to be an artist. I was born and brought up in Kolkata, in the company of my extended family. My uncle, Mr. Benegal, who was a commercial artist and a painter, was, really the person who made me realize I wanted to be an artist. I used to...

Q.What made you begin to paint? What is your earliest memory as an artist? And what is the fondest memory you have?
As a child, right from the age of five, I've always wanted to be an artist. I was born and brought up in Kolkata, in the company of my extended family. My uncle, Mr. Benegal, who was a commercial artist and a painter, was, really the person who made me realize I wanted to be an artist. I used to spend weekends in his house and studio watching him paint, and he was, also the person who bought me my first box of paints. It's funny, because my late brother, Guru Dutt, was also greatly influenced by him to go into the film industry. This was because, my uncle used to handle the publicity for all the films that released at that time, being a commercial artist by profession.
My mother on the other hand, urged me to take up classical music and dance. But I really didn't feel like carrying on with it. After I moved to Bombay, when I was learning commercial art at the Sir J.J. School of Art, sometimes I would give performances, both singing and dancing. But then I got married very young. It was an arranged marriage, and I didn't have the time to pursue any of my interests for quite a while after that. My career began much much later. When I was only twenty, my daughter, Kalpana, was born. Eight years later I had a son. So you see, it was quite a busy time. There was definitely no time to paint professionally. I began to seriously paint only in the 60's, and I owe the progressive painter, Ara, a great deal. He was the one who told me that there was no use in working just like that. He really encouraged me at a time when young and upcoming artists had no say in the world of galleries and dealers. He was the man behind my first show. He booked the Jehangir Art Gallery for me and helped with the other details. The show was quite a success. There was a series of landscapes and a couple of figurative works as well. But at that time I had no direction. I was self-taught. I would work in watercolors or pastels, sometimes make drawings, sometimes graphics.
My first painting sold for a mere Rs.100 to a German art collector who used to come to India, Dr. Heinzmode. He is now unfortunately no more, but his collection has a great amount of my early works. He didn't have too much money, so what he used to do was take my works, and in exchange give me the works of German artists, or some books. It was quite a fruitful relationship, since he arranged a show for me in East Germany. I also knew another German couple, and they arranged a show in West Germany, so that was a nice experience. But there were some unpleasant times as well. The couple in Germany hasn't returned the works that didn't sell. I had a similar experience with galleries in Italy. As a young artist it was impossible for me to fly all the way there to get my works back. And at that time I couldn't afford to make slides, so I have no record at all of my earlier works.
After this I used to have regular shows every three years at Jehangir, which was also quite a struggle since finding sponsorship was practically impossible! Today the scene has totally changed with this art boom. But I still feel that the highlight of my whole career has been all the shows I've held.
I also taught art for a while at two schools in South Bombay - the Convent of Jesus and Mary and Campion. Whilst I was there I worked a lot with disabled and underprivileged children, and I continue to do that till today. We used to have art sessions with children from the Spastics Society, and since then I have worked with Mobile Creche, CRY, Akanksha and most recently, Concern India. I really enjoyed that, and when any of these organizations call me up, I never hesitate in saying yes.

Q.People say your work mainly deals with women and the issues that surround them. Is this true? Are you a feminist painter?
Well, I wouldn't say I am a feminist, but I do show and deal with the disturbances and relationships that human beings are caught up in. a great concern of mine is the human condition or predicament.
Earlier, when I was teaching, I had no time to paint oils since I only came home and worked at night. The artificial light and the lack of time prevented me from using oils at all. So I used to do a lot of printmaking, and people labeled me a graphic artist. On and off I used to paint some watercolors, since they were not as time consuming. Now when I have started with oils, people say I don't have the experience I need.
It's only recently, after 1992, that my career has taken good shape. I now have moved to Andheri, where I have a studio for oils in my garage downstairs, and a press for printmaking upstairs.

Q.Besides oil on canvas, have you used or experimented with any other media or surface? Which for you seemed the most suitable or fulfilling?
As I told you I began by working with prints. I have painted in watercolor and I have made drawings as well. I only do copper and zinc plate prints. I haven't really worked with other types like lithographs. Sadly, there is no market for prints; I have so many with me in my house.
I am very comfortable making prints and with watercolors. For a long period I had not done any oils, so people think I'm not good at them

Q.What are you working on now?
Right now I am painting for two big group shows that are coming up. In October, there is one being held at the Habitat Centre in New Delhi, at a gallery called Threshold. The curator said that my works would be put up in the senior artists section, along with those of Anupam Sud and Laxma Goud. For her I am painting six new watercolors and three new oils. The other show is in Chennai, curated by Sarla Banerjee. It is called 'Shakti' and I am sending them three new works. So as you see I will be quite busy.
Next January I have organized a show with Rekha Rao. Both of us had shown our works together before, so we decided to again, this time at Cymroza Art Gallery on the 25th of January.

Q.What have been some of the most influential things in your career?
Well, I told you about Ara. I was influenced by some of his works, and often used to paint the same nude model as he did in his studio along with him. But that was only for a short time. Otherwise I consider myself an imaginative artist. I have not really copied anything or drawn totally from any source at all. My etchings depicted the man woman relationship as I perceived it. The closest that I have been to an object that inspired me, was in a series I painted called the Family Series. It was in 1985, and the works were displayed at Chemould. What I did was take photographs from my father's family album of all my relatives. I loved the feel of the old aged paper and the sepia colour of the photographs. I painted the people in the pictures in sepia tone watercolors and a few colored oils as well. The paper and the poses of the people, with the women always sitting and the men standing behind them, fascinated me. Again, these works reflected a little psychoanalysis by bringing out the inner conflicts and relationships of the people. The works never sold at the gallery but now I hear they are all sold. I don't have any record of these works either.