The Indian Express | 'Technology cannot overtake true creativity'

By Samridhi Singh

As the door opened to the large expanse of creativity, hues of red, yellow and blue filled the enormous canvases spread across the room. Colours both bright and deep engulfed the eyes. This was an artist’s abode, shelves filled with paints and brushes and corners decorated with eccentric sculptures. The glass tables had texts speaking of the exhibitions by Paresh Maity, to whom this house and art studio belonged.

The creator of one of India’s longest paintings, The Indian Odyssey at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi Airport in New Delhi, he has had his works placed in prestigious locations like the Rashtrapati Bhawan and the British Museum in London. Maity, who has over 80 solo exhibitions to his credit, recently spoke with indianexpress.com about his creative process, his artistic journey, and his upcoming collaboration.

Ask him about the role of technology and artificial intelligence in art and Maity is confident that new technologies can never replace or overtake creativity. “If that were the case, people wouldn’t still feel joy when visiting a museum or appreciating a Picasso painting. However, the digital medium has made art more accessible—we can view any artist’s work at the click of a button,” said the 59-year-old.

An artist of high repute, Maity was awarded the Padma Shree in 2014 by the Government of India. While he acknowledges the importance of awards, he believes the ultimate victory for an artist is when the audience derives joy and a sense of ecstasy from the art created. “I feel like a successful artist. There is no greater reward than your audience finding your art immersive,” Maity said.

Coming from a traditional Bengali household, Paresh Maity, like many other Bengalis, found inspiration in Rabindranath Tagore. “Tagore is a mahasagar to me, an all-encompassing artist who crafted magic with his words. I consider him one of India’s greatest modern artists—he could have been the next Picasso. His life as an artist taught me that all art forms, whether poetry, music, or painting, are intertwined,” said Maity, expressing his deep admiration for the late artist.