Jaipur: For the second consecutive year, Jaipur Art Summit has been mired in controversy. If last year it was cow vigilantes, this year the moral police disrupted the summit over an alleged indecency after a US-based Indian artist showcased a nude painting.
The women members of Lal Sena flanked by members of Rashtriya Ekta Manch arrived at Ravindra Manch where the summit is being held and Lal Sena leader Hemlata Sharma alleged that a painting of Radha Vinod Sharma was indecent, thus an insult of women.
She also snatched the painting from Mr Sharma’s hands and came out with it alleging that “such indecent depiction of mothers and sisters” should be stop under the garb of art. “Such lewd paintings can’t be described art, she said while asking if the artist would make such painting of her mother and sister.
She said that there should be action against such people and took the painting to the local police station to file a complaint. Thereafter, the organisers and artists participating in the summit also reached the police station to put forth their point of view.
However, the police managed to resolve the issue amicably and the painting was returned to the artist.
Later, artist Radha Vinod Sharma, who belongs to Tripura but is living in the US for nearly two decades, said that the Indian culture runs into his blood and that he respects women. “This painting is of an American model who herself gave permission to me to showcase it,” he said. According to him, one should not object without the knowledge of the art. “If my painting is lewd, what are Khajuraho temples? Shouldn’t they be demolished?”
He said that taking away his painting was a crime, while other artists rued that there was no security at the summit where they have been displaying art work worth lakhs. Founder of Jaipur Art Summit, Shailendra Bhatt, also defended the artist saying there was nothing indecent in the painting, though he said that art work displayed in the summit would be reviewed once again.
