Suhas Tavkar
Bellerose, NY - United States
Suhas Tavkar - Fine Artist
Member Since: 02/27/2008
The art of Suhas Tavkar shows a unique relationship between the human form and the human touch that created it….
My name is Suhas Tavkar and I create my NakhaChitra – fingernail sculpted relief drawings because I learn this unique ancient Indian art technique at the age of four from my late architect father Anant Tavkar - 1902-1994. (Even today I can trace my family names from 1562), means NakhaChitra art has been practiced by my family members even before that time for generations). 'NakhaChitra' (fingernail sculpted drawing) is one of the world's rarest, ancient, unique and unknown art technique (Nakha means fingernail, Chitra means drawing and Nakhachitrakar means fingernail sculpted artist in Sanskrit language of the Hindus) humans ever created at the beginning of the human race. I would like to educate people around the world about this unknown forgotten art technique, 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. According to me “NakhaChitrakala”-fingernail sculpted art form is originated in ancient India. (Article on NakhaChitra was written by Austin Williams and published in American Artist Drawing magazine in 2009).
With these natural tools that are literally at one’s own fingertips I believe,
“Every living creature on planet earth is an artist and also a wonderful piece of art”.
“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.
