Suhas Tavkar

The art of Suhas Tavkar shows a unique relationship between the human form and the human touch that created it….

Since my childhood I was always thinking that our universe is the God's largest art Gallery with display of big and small moving planets. To see this exhibit during the day the God has created Sunlight and at night God has created Moonlight. So far our living planet earth is one of the nature's greatest and the best art piece, (until we discover another living planet like earth). Our earth's oceans are God's created largest and mysterious aquariums in the living world where you see real natural artistic creations in the light or in the dark deep blue sea.

I am a NakhaChitrakar (fingernail sculpted artist) and a photographer living in New York for last 34 years and practicing this ancient NakhaChitrakala art for last almost 64 years. I was exposed to the art of NakhaChitrakala as a child but started doing NkhaChitra-fingernail embossing at the age of four.
I have learned this unusual and rare fingernail relief art on paper from my late architect father Anant who in turn, learned it from his father and mother as a child (even today I can trace my family names from 1562, means Nakhachitra art has been practiced by my family members before that time for many generations). Today I can produce the most intricate and truly unique relief designs and fine calligraphy on paper or thin soft metal. I described my work is a “daunting, irksome and painful” fine art of bas-relief. Each Nakhachitra takes tremendous concentration and precise hand-eye coordination. But the beauty of the relief art is that each work is an original, a one-of-kind piece of artwork. With this technique, if a single line or impression fails to satisfy me, it cannot be undone, it is permanent. In other words, the whole piece has to begin anew.

“NakhaChitra” word and meaning

Word “NAKHACHITRA” comes from the ancient Indian Sanskrit language of the Hindus for the Fingernail sculpted art, which is created just by using own fingernails (God-given fingernails as a basic tool to write and draw) without using any artist tools, machine or hand press.

'NakhaChitra' (fingernail sculpted art) is one of the world's rarest, ancient, unique and unknown art form (Nakha means fingernail, Chitra means art and Nakhachitrakar means fingernail sculpted artist in Sanskrit language of the Hindus) humans ever created at the beginning of the human race. Not a single art history book or museum has given reference or importance to this original fingernail art form which is created by humans (God-given fingernails as a first basic tool to write and draw). I would like to educate people around the world about this unknown forgotten art form, still exists even today. I think humans may have started this art form at the beginning of the human race through etchings on the soft wooden bark, mud or on the large banana or lotus leaves using their fingernails as a tool for creating art and writing. It takes back at least to the 5th century AD, by which time Kalidasa-the great play writer and poet of the Sanskrit language had mentioned that love letter written by Shakuntala on a lotus leaf with her fingernail in his play “The Recognition of Shakuntala”. This reference shows that the people from India were using Nakha (fingernails) regularly for writing on leaves, but according to me “NakhaChitrakala” (fingernail sculpted art) is originated in Ancient India. Recently I have created some largest size (7.5”X20”) of NakhaChitra relief pieces on 2ply Strathmore kid paper that I think no one has ever created in the world.

I always welcome comments on my ancient, unique and unknown art form and photographs feedback from those who visit my website.

I believe,
“ Every living creature on planet earth is an artist and also a wonderful piece of art ”

Suhas Tavkar
Nakhachitrakar & Photographer
718-831-6651

For any inquiries or if you would like to speak to Suhas about his NakhaChitra artworks or exhibiting his originals in your museum or art gallery, please feel free to contact him at: 718-831-6651 or email him at nakhachitrakarsuhas@yahoo.com Thank you.

“Quality is never an Accident. It is Always the Result of Intelligent Efforts. There must be a will to produce a Superior thing” - by John Ruskin.

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