Today I am in a teaching spree.

Those who want to know how an abstract painting takes birth, raise your hands.

I will show you how an artist picks up elements from nature, turns them into abstract work, and then connects it with a name — to tell a story through the painting.

Image 1 – This is a picture I clicked a few days ago at a construction site. Some stone slabs were stacked one after another, supported by a large wall in the background. Above that, a small chip of sky can be seen.

Image 2 – The cropped section where I felt the form had potential to become a painting.

Image 3 – This is where the natural form starts taking shape on canvas.

Image 4 – A finished painting, hung in a plush living room. Now I name it ‘Sunset in Mumbai’.

And then… sexy lady art collectors stand in front of this painting and keep saying:

“Wow! It is an amaaazzzzing work, Utpal! You’re great! I laaave it…” etc.

But the real story is the journey — from Image 1 to Image 4.

Abstract painting is “really easy”, as I’ve heard people say even before I picked up a paintbrush. They look at Image 4 and assume — oh, this is very easy.

But boys and girls…

As homework for the next class, pick a chair, a sofa, a comb, or a glass — something you’ve been seeing for all your life. Everyday. Now break the form, abstract it completely, and bring it to life. Show me in the next class.

Pencil sketch, watercolour, pastel — all mediums are welcome. Just one condition: it has to be an abstract work.

Once you break your head trying to simplify a form, only then will you realise: So-called modern art is not a child’s play.

Nothing in life is a child’s play — unless you are a master in that subject.

Facebook Post on 28th June 2025