It is not often that a young Indian artist gets an opportunity to move into unfamiliar worlds of creative work. Just a visit to cities in Russia like Moscow and St Petersburg would offer one an idea of the artistic heritage in those places with a universal significance. The experience is reinforced with an opportunity to work on canvases that would eventually go into the permanent collection of museums in the country. 

That is an experience with which Ganesh Basu has just returned to Kolkata, brimming with excitement after all the work he has done in Russia and the artists he had met. It was an international workshop held at the Art Penza Museum with artists from a wide range of countries — South Korea, Portugal, China, Myanmar, Japan and Bulgaria. From India, Basu was the only young participant assigned to finish as many canvases as possible for the permanent collection. 

The “blow” method that he has been using in his work gives his canvases a unique texture — the simple lines are created on delicately blended colours to give shape to his ideas on “ancient love”. The ideas have taken Basu to several countries in Europe from Sweden and Denmark and from to Finland to Norway. 

Russia has now been added to his artistic adventures in Europe with results that could help forge a lasting bond. But the inspiring footnote to the experience is that the old city of sculptures that are installed in public locations now holds a small contribution of a quintessentially Indian view of universal peace.

Over the past few years, however, Basu has turned his interests to the East. A visit to China was an eye-opener to the extent that it has prompted him to explore the cross-currents of art in India and China. With all the reputation that Chinese art claims round the world, it is a pity that the lines of communication with India are few and far between. 

Basu has travelled to small towns in China to discover the roots of that artistic inspiration in their environment and modest lifestyles. But from there he has moved to a teeming city like Penang in Malaysia to again make a modest Indian contribution to the Daichi Art Space. 

What surprises Basu during these experiences is the encouragement that creative people — both residents and visitors from other countries — receive from the administration. Whether it is a minister or a mayor, the reaction has a positive refrain. They confess that their role is confined to creating and protecting the infrastructure during the period they hold the responsibility. The artists, on the other hand, make a more lasting contribution to social awareness. That is the reason why more countries in the East are organising such a free exchange of artistic ideas, especially among the young who have an exciting range of individual styles. It offers opportunities that Basu is not inclined to miss.