When we see a work of art, we presume that the artist’s imagination has come true. In such a situation, it is natural to wonder whether our ideas are only the product of our consciousness or whether the subconscious additionally has a role. Obviously, in order to understand this, we must first solve the conscious-subconscious dilemma. In such a setting, several problems arise, such as what is the nature of awareness. And how does it connect to the subconscious operation of the mind? Who drives our conscious and subconscious minds? Is your mind your own? Is it an independent will of the mind? Then the question arises: why did our consciousness develop? Actually, the reason for this is those complicated molecular reactions that may have developed for different reasons but were mistakenly caught in a cycle within the microcosm of our planet. Consciousness is a part of this cycle, but it does not have to be there all the time. Consciousness is a sense that is inherent in us. So we can argue that any living entity that can feel is conscious, yet not all living beings experience conscious intellectual activity in the same manner. However, when compared to humans, it is evident that human consciousness is the most advanced type of emotion, capable of feeling sensory impressions as well as intellectual activity and others. However, we know that consciousness exists in three states: conscious, subconscious, and unconscious.
But our main goal here is to investigate the role of an artist’s consciousness and subconsciousness in the creation of his art. The first thing that is typically taught in the initial classes at an art college is that the student or artist should continually practice drawing exactly what he sees. Then it’s time to apply the technical talents he’s gained through practice to his art. Obviously, we assess an artist’s work with these factors in mind. However, this is merely the academic component of an artwork or painting. The viewer’s reaction to the paintings or artworks comes next. That is, how much that artwork or work influences the viewer’s emotions and interests. Indian modern painting has been increasingly influenced by photo realism in recent decades. In this method, painters frequently use Photoshop or other artificial intelligence software to build compositions, which they subsequently depict in their own unique style on canvas. The Aarushi Art Gallery in Greater Kailash, New Delhi, is presently hosting a solo exhibition by young artist Umashankar Pathak. Umashankar studied painting academically at the Patna College of Arts and Crafts. This artist was born in the town of Jamalpur in the current Munger district, Bihar.
However, I believe that even though an artist may be from a specific location or area, his work is ultimately universal. Nevertheless, it is also true that the artist’s upbringing and surroundings are present in his works in one way or another. In fact, this is where we are confronted with issues like the function of the conscious and subconscious minds. My belief is that Umashankar’s contemporary paintings effectively utilize the synchronization of this conscious and subconscious. In terms of Munger City’s history, it was a significant city from the Vedic era till British administration. In Jamalpur in Munger, a railway plant was established in 1862 during the British colonial era. In addition to its industrial identity, Munger city developed as an art centre centuries ago. Historical facts indicate to this. From the 8th to the 12th century, this city was a thriving centre of Pala period sculpture. Furthermore, until the 1970s and 1980s, Munger’s local sculptors and artists were well-known in this region. It was a popular location for painting drama screens during then. I’m not sure if this had an impact on Umashankar’s childhood, but I can say that in terms of art, there was a wonderful vibe in this city that is still present to some degree.
However, Umashankar acknowledges that as a child, when I sat down for lunch, I would frequently observe airplanes passing overhead from the kitchen window. The most intriguing aspect was that this window was in front of the clay stove, so the plane could be seen occasionally among the clouds and sometimes among the smoky flames of the stove. It was a bizarre circumstance for me, and all I wanted to know was who was sitting in the plane, where they were going, how they would feel crossing the clouds, and whether I could ever sit there or whether what I was seeing was simply a part of the game. My artworks are humorous, but they also address modern themes such as displacement, migration, and deforestation. My imaginations are only a manifestation of emotions that give rise to concerns of difference manufactured by humans in order to satisfy their ambitions. As a result, I frequently strive to express the flavor of the quest of infinite to my audience, whether physically or virtually.
Obviously, after seeing this solo exhibition, it is up to the observer to determine whether or not the artist was effective in communicating his feelings. However, the artist is surely faced with the task of maintaining the range of his inventiveness. Umashankar’s artworks use forms that are quite similar to those seen in nature. But there is also a lot here that goes beyond our normal reality. That is, those few forms are the result of the artist’s conscious and subconscious mind working together to connect us to another virtual world or universe beyond our own. That is, those few forms are the result of the artist’s conscious and subconscious mind working together to connect us to another virtual world or universe beyond our own. We can also read it in this way: those animals or forms may not exist in our current reality, but they or something like may exist somewhere in the unknown depths of the future. Perhaps on another planet beyond Earth…
-Suman Kumar Singh