All art should serve a greater purpose: Sanatan Dinda

It took multimedia artist and renowned body painter Sanatan Dinda a little over two and a half hours to create his tribute to Mother Earth, ravaged as she is by the effects of global warming. Painting on a living canvas – model and Deepti pageant winner Samarpita Chattopadhyay – Sanatan spoke to us about the art form, the road ahead, and more. Excerpts:
Global warming is a crucial issue, which people should be aware about.Through my work of art, I want to urge all to do their bit to save the planet
Sanatan was all praise for Samarpita. “The artwork came out well because she was calm throughout the process, which requires a lot of detailing and immense concentration”

The challenge is to justify painting on human skin: Sanatan Dinda
Why is it that we don’t celebrate Body Painting Day like other important days?
Body painting is in its infant stage. In fact, there’s still debate over body painting being an art form. It requires a discourse for something to be called art. We artists are working towards it and hope that it will eventually get the recognition it deserves.
Tell us about today’s project. How important is it to make people aware about global warming?
I’m happy that Calcutta Times is celebrating World Body Painting Day. Moreover, I feel global warming is a burning issue now and everyone should be aware of it to help save the planet.
Do you think youngsters should consider taking up body painting as a career?
Many youngsters may want to take it up, but I believe one can’t just create art unless they completely understand it. It may be tempting to paint on bare skin, but any art needs to be justified. It must serve a greater purpose. So, the real challenge here is to first find an answer to the why – why paint on human skin? I’ve managed to answer this question and understand that when I use an individual’s body as a canvas, I change human geometry to create a narrative.

Is body painting still considered taboo?
I feel it shouldn’t be. But body painting comes with a lot of challenges, especially in India, where religious sentiments can be easily hurt. The concept itself, however, is not new in India. I grew up watching jatra as a child, where actors used to paint their faces to resemble a character or a deity.
Is getting models difficult?
Yes, it is one of the challenges. It is often difficult to find someone who understands body painting – an art form where a model’s consent is top priority. But I’ve been lucky to find talented models for my work.
When I first went to the body painting festival, I noticed it was simply practiced as cosmetic art. I asked myself how is that important and tried to do something different, revolutionary

The art, the artist and his tools
Sanatan, a five-time winner at the World Body Painting Festival held annually in Austria, told us that he used a special kind of body paint on Samarpita. “It’s 100% skin safe with a moisturising base that prevents the colour from cracking when applied on skin. It’s also vegan,” he said.
When asked about the brushes he used, the artist said it’s a special kind of brush suitable for body painting. “It has extra soft bristles to prevent any damage to the skin. We used a variety of flat and round brushes for the purpose; six-seven different kinds altogether,” added Sanatan, who is renowned in Bengal for his unique Durga idol concepts.

It was a whole new experience for me. Getting my body painted on by Sanatan Dinda is something my mind
is still processing
– Samarpita Chattopadhyay
Pics: Tathagata Ghosh; Hair: Nabin Das