Art

The Art Jathedar

by HENNA SINGH

His art is recognized and loved by many, and he has an established fan base.  Yet this artist maintains that he still "paints for himself" and that he doesn't like to think about what other people have said about his art.   

His name is Bhupinder Singh and he is a relatively new resident of Saskatchewan, Canada.  His most recognized painting is probably one entitled "First Sight" which is so much more than just a picture of the Durbar Sahib.

I recently had a chance to speak with Bhupinder about his art and what inspired him.

I had stumbled across his work quite by mistake, while surfing on the internet. I was looking at pictures that a friend of mine had posted.  I somehow started looking at someone else's paintings instead and then saw one that grabbed my attention.

The painting was titled "River Conference" which featured Nihang Singhs crossing a river.  Intrigued, I browsed through some of the other paintings. Soon, I saw one that I recognized immediately and had seen before - a picture of the Durbar Sahib with a Nihang standing in front of it - "First Sight". 

As I looked through the paintings, I read the comments that other visitors to the site had left for the artist.  The praise was overflowing and it was clear that the paintings had touched many people.  As I continued to browse through the art, I was again surprised - the artist had drawn inspiration from the Canadian landscape as well!  There were paintings of the prairies, northern lights, and of farms. 

Regardless of the subject matter, it was clear that the painter had talent, especially considering that his medium of choice was watercolour - known for being notoriously difficult to work with. 

I wanted to know who was this artist known simply as "Jathedar", the moniker he uses on the internet.

It's then that I discovered the man behind the "Jathedar". Born in India, he lived in Australia for almost a decade before he decided to immigrate to Canada.

Although he was always artistically inclined, painting is not Bhupinder's "day job". Urged by his parents and family to do something "useful" so that he could provide for himself, he attended university in Chandigarh and graduated with a Bachelor's in Science.  He then went on to complete a Master's in Computer Science in Australia.    

It was not until Bhupinder was in Canada that he explored the potential for selling his art.  Bhupinder contacted a few galleries in Saskatchewan and, upon seeing his pieces, they agreed to display his artwork - and some of it sold!  That, and Saskatchewan itself, inspired him to paint more.

"I've found that people in Canada are really creative," Bhupinder says.  "They're very laid back and they have time to pursue their creative interests.  But long before I moved here, I found the prairies very inspiring.  I know that many Canadians think that they're boring, but to me, I guess, they represent something pristine and untouched by Man. I feel at home here. I really like wide open spaces."

How is it, then, that he has cultivated such a huge online fan-base in such a short time?  People from all over the world have contacted Bhupinder and lauded his artwork.

I was sure, from his established online presence, that he had marketed himself well.  It turns out that when you have great art, you don't need to go out of your way to get people to notice it.  They just do.

Last year, Bhupinder found himself browsing over the work of other artists on the net. He began to comment on their work, telling them what he liked about their paintings or photography. One of them, a frequent recipient of  Bhupinder's critiques, chided him for not posting his own work. Bhupinder was stumped; he didn't really have anything ready to display.

So, he got to work. And, before long, managed to photograph some of his work and post the pictures online.  The rest is history!

The support that he has received is partly because of the subject matter that he often chooses to paint - the Durbar Sahib and other Sikh-related images. There appears to be a growing hunger for them.

For example, the picture that is one of my personal favourites - "Riding Nihang" -  features a Nihang practicing horseback riding.  The painting is of a Nihang  -  sure, you'd say , pretty standard fare in "Sikh" art.  But it possesses a feeling of movement that is difficult to achieve in watercolour.  The painting appears simple. Yet it grabs you deep within. 

When asked how he comes up with the ideas for his paintings, Bhupinder said that they come from anywhere and everywhere.  The "Riding Nihang" was inspired by a card he saw with a horse on it.  Though he is quite blasé, Bhupinder does, in fact, put a great deal of thought into how Sikhs are depicted.  "Art and literature have staying power and they have the ability to make a real impact," he said, "When I think about drawing Sikhs, I ask myself, what if years from now the earth is in a state of ruin and all they can find is my art, and it displays the caption, "This is a Sikh".  They will imagine that's what Sikhs looked like. So I want to portray things fully and accurately, to capture their heart and soul."

He also shies away from painting any of the Ten Gurus for the same reason, though many people have requested him to.  Instead, he does paintings which suggest their presence - such as the one entitled "Following Father's Footsteps" which features Guru Gobind Singh's oldest sons following him into battle.  The twist is that they are all painted from behind, riding away. I must say the painting works: it somehow exudes strength and commitment. 

In the future, Bhupinder wants to focus on the contemporary scene. He wants to paint  a Sikh-Canadian police officer, for example; a cranberry farmer in Abbotsford ... and so on.  He also wants to explore subjects from Generations X and Y and wants to depict life in the Diaspora. 

This generation does need someone to record their stories and experiences. Who could do it better than Bhupinder Singh?

http://www.bhupi.ca/

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