Having purchased Juliette Aristides "Classical Painting Atelier" she recommends copying a master as a good way to improve painting skills. And as a Sikh I could see no better master than the great Sobha Singh, world renowned, with his paintings now being auctioned at Sotheby's.
Such was the impact of Sobha Singh's artwork that millions of Sikh's across the world choose his reprinted paintings to reside in their living rooms. Quite often the portraits are placed physically higher than any other family photos, as a sign of respect of the Gurus. I have even seen my parents bow down and pay their respect to the image of the Guru in the portrait during a silent prayer. So it came to no surprise when, after several years of worship, my mother found it difficult to lend me the print during the course of this study. After several promises and stern warnings to look after the print, I was given permission to borrow the only physical representation of her beloved Guru.
There are 10 Sikh Guru's, and the first challenge was, well which Guru do I paint? There was the 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, a warrior and a Saint, given Guruship before his teens and born to stand up for righteosness against the horific Moghul Empire. However this was a very complex character to start off with. I just wanted a peaceful vibe, whereas with Guru Gobind Singh I felt the battle too much tension.
So after several weeks of contemplating, I decided to finally take the plunge and begin my works with Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru, the one who started it all. Such a lovely energy, such a beautiful poet, his hymns and prayers still get recited every morning at sunrise by millions of Sikhs across the Globe. He created unity where there was division, a lover of people and a devotee of God.
In this painting, which I've based on Sobha Singh's work I really got to see how Sobha Singh has depicted Guru Nanak. He has shown his humility by raising his hand and slighlty bowing his head, which I only realised once I began painting him. It's interesting what you see once you start replicating a master.
There is a bit of a story behind this painting which I felt I should share. When I began painting it, I asked Guru Nanak to help me, I figured, what is the harm? I spoke out loud to him and said, "Guru Nanak, I know these are just artist impressions of you and we don't know what you really looked like. Help me to paint something which will honour you." So I felt a little guidance on a slightly better looking longer nose and lovely eyes.
Now the story goes on. About a year after painting this my mum had lost her eyesight in one eye. She was on steroids. My mum is a devout follower of Guru Nanak. She read the Sikh holy scriptures several times a day. After careful consultation she was put on a course of steroids by the Eye Othalmic hospital in London. Now steroids are not very nice. They have awful side effects and mess up your hormones. Mum found it very difficult to sleep. One night at about 1am she was pacing back and forth trying to calm herself down and she spoke to the Guru and said, "how can I read your Bani (Sikh holy scriptures) now with only one eye?" She said she saw an image of Guru Nanak come towards her, she felt something place a hand on her eye and when she opened her eyes again she could see. Just like that. Yes, the steroids would have kicked in and helped however there was something in those moments which happened immediately. When I asked her which photo of Guru Nanak it was, she replied it was this painting. So there you go.
Loved the story.
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