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M E E T
T H E A R T I S T Govinda Dongol By Nandita Rana 
After slight confusion over the direction to artist Govinda Dongol’s
residence at Sanepa we finally found it. Such was his chivalry that
he walked up to the far end of his neighborhood to receive us. We
were pleased, meeting one of the most well renowned senior artists
of Nepal. With more than 36 years of teaching fine arts, Dongol
shows no sign of slowing down. He appears to be as fresh as his
recent collection of wash paintings (a traditional Chinese technique
where a painting is washed several times to create depth). “This
collection is based on Hindu deities. The local clients can easily
relate to such works,” he says. “What I have found over
time is that most of my Nepali clients prefer paintings on Radhe-Krishna
more than the others” says the artist, shuffling through his
neatly stacked works. Radhe is the partner to the more well known
Hindu god Krishna. Placed besides them were Dongol’s Ganesha
series, exhibited at the Park Gallery recently. Gauging the living
room, it was impossible not to notice a sleek, black piano at the
far right corner and a smaller one to the left amidst Dongol’s
colorful canvases. As the saying goes: Life Begets Life, and it
turns out that the artist’s eldest son is also artistic –
one of the most sought after Jazz/Blues pianist in Nepal, recently
back from a musical tour of Japan. “Self confidence is what makes everything possible. It is the philosophy I have lived by all my life,” Dongol tells me. “Even in my childhood, when I was not much of a swimmer, I would readily dive into the Bagmati River when my friends dared me to do so. I believe that nothing is impossible.” It was this attitude that turned Govinda Dongol into a professional artist. Although inclined towards arts from very young, he was not sure that it would be his ultimate career choice. It was during his first year in college that he entered an art competition and won a scholarship to study at the Sir J.J. School of Art in Mumbai, one of the highly prestigious art colleges of the time. “It was those years in college that made me realize the essence of arts and the responsibilities and hardships of an artist.” Since graduating as an art student he has been teaching fine arts in Nepal’s Lalit Kala College of fine arts. He has also served as the Campus Chief for over seven years. Govinda Dongol is also considered to be one of the pioneers in the development of academic fine arts in Nepal. He disregards the notion, however, and believes that he is still a learner. “No matter how adept a diver, he can never dive into the bottom of an ocean. The same is true for arts. No matter how experienced or skillful an artist, he cannot comprehend the vastness and totality of Arts and Nature. I am still a learner, experimenting and evolving all the while.” The seriousness of the artist is revealed as he talks about the status of fine arts in Nepal. “Development of a nation shows in the history and richness of its arts and culture,” he says, as one of the few people working to design and propose a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program into Tribhuvan University’s curriculum. “The level of awareness and participation of Nepalese in arts has been highly progressive since the last five years. To have that scenario is very humbling and I see great future for the development of fine arts in Nepal.” And Dongol has a moody streak when it comes to painting. His projects begin only when the right mood strikes him and he can go on with it for a very long time. Therefore, he takes breaks from painting from time to time. “I prefer to be stable in the choice of medium I use. If I am working with water color then all my works will be based on that, and if I discontinue, then my focus completely shifts to another medium.” Another facet to artist Dongol is his versatility. His works range from realistic and abstract paintings to traditional Thanka religious scroll paints and charcoal portraits. All his works resonate with a distinctive flair as he adds a personal touch and experiments with different techniques. His Thanka art, for example, recreates the traditional form by adding hazy and fantasy-like effects. His charcoal portraits are often confused with photographs. “I may have painted many canvases, but I consider only few as my true works. My paintings should carry me, my identity and my style. Drawings can be traced and reproduced, but paintings can never be copied. They exist singularly in the world. “Dongol explains this as he shuffles through and compares his charcoal portraits with his abstract paintings. “Poets reach to places where no man can reach and it’s the same with artists. They reach those places with their paint brush and demonstrate them in the abstractness of their creation.” Apart from playing with colors, Govinda Dongol is an avid ghazal listener, something he developed from his college days in India. (Ghazals are popular Urdu love songs.) He has a huge collection of the music and considers ghazal to be another meditative medium for him. “My wife often complains because I am either lost in ghazals or in my paintings. Often time it happens that she brings me tea and by the time I realize it, the tea’s already gone cold. That is one aspect she does not agree with so much.” This demonstrates Dongol’s penchant for what he loves to do—basically: art. Another huge inspiration in his life is Lord Ganesha and as he talks about it he recalls a dream in which he was visited by Ganesha. “It was during the time when I was approaching my final exam at school. Lord Ganesha came to me in my dreams and suggested that I study well if I was to pass the exam. The dream hit me hard and it made me seriously realize that I had to work hard if I was to achieve my goals. Since then I have had numerous incidents where I have felt his guidance come through. Lord Ganesha’s inspiration in my life is immense.” When conversing with artist Dongol, his passion for arts and for life is clear. Dongol is one of the pioneers of the arts who has devoted considerable time to the academics of fine arts in Nepal. Although he resigned from his position as Campus Chief at Lalit Kala College a few months ago, he aims to continue teaching until he retires next year. That does not seem to affect the artist very much, as he knows he can never retire from arts and painting. When asked what medium of painting he would then focus on, he answers “Imagine you have four children and someone asks you to pick only one as your favorite, how do you do it? Well it’s the same with me. All the media and art work I use are like my children whom I have honed and nurtured so far. I can’t choose among them.” For information on the artist’s collection contact his residence at Sanepa, Kalopul, Tel:552.8985, Email: upiano@wlink.com.np . |
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