By R S Yadav (Art Critic) - 01 Jan, 2009

Shahid Parvez - A Brief Encounter

Udaipur (1970) born Shahid Parvez has a child like approach to art creation. His stress is on expression of his intent with maximum impact. Hence the deliberate unbending of the figure, be it human, animal or floral. And it is this nativity that clicks.

Shahid Parvez is an experienced artist with more than ten solo exhibitions to his credit- shows that have not only covered India but the globe as well with a spread as far as Australia, Spain, France, United Kingdom and Holland, ever since 1997. This early exposure to an international environment has honed the expressive power of the artist and made his steps surer. The tall-tale imageries Shahid has been creating convey the essence of his work with a sense of humor that is characteristically his own. A creative humor for that matter. One may say that he does not believe in the old adage “heavy lies the head that wears the Crown”. His head seems to be light and full of ideas and humor. One may say that he takes the serious drama of life, apparently, lightly and makes it work a look.

To understand Shahid more intimately, one has to look at the characters (dramatis personae) in his works – a young boy with a white peacock on his back, the fingers of the boy resembling claws that might frighten ( the white peacock ). A work like Lover on Wheels is quite a satire wherein the couple seems to be shifting inside the body of the carrier animal that bears a butterfly face and yet has five wheels to roll on. A funny mix up for that matter. The Gentle Touch is a love-lorn image with all the fun a child like approach could introduce. The young damsel is riding a swan while the pitch-dark-skinned male is attempting to touch her. Don’t Stare at Me features a funny looking balloon seller who instantly catches one’s eye in the light hearted engagement. Toys, See my Tattoos are some of his fine works that immediately catch one’s eye and engage him or her into a light hearted dialogue.

Combined with folkish approach and a matching technique, Shahid Parvez’s works present us a different world that is minus its formal trappings and quickly captivates one’s heart.