Jagmohan Chopra: artist and teacher
Anupam Sud pays tribute to Jagmohan Chopra who mentored a whole generation of Indian printmakers like her under the Group 8 aegis, creating a new Indian graphic vocabulary.
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled”: – Plutarch Shri. Jagmohan Chopra – my teacher, mentor, philosopher and guide. He was the guiding force not only in my artistic endeavours but in life. Very aptly, like a true mentor, along with providing students with facts, information or knowledge, he nurtured in them a fire for life and art. I am no exception to this process of his. However, my close association with him gave me a greater insight into the complexity of his vision and his artistic genius.
Mr. Chopra was an artist ahead of his time both in his various artistic expressions and views about Art & its future. A man within depth knowledge in diverse areas and disciplines who became a charismatic figure for students and followers. While the knowledge of science helped him to solve technicalities of printmaking and scale new horizons in photography with ease, his interest in literature, mythology, philosophy made his perception of art universal. The depth of his knowledge was evident in the ways these diverse areas of expertise blended into each other creating an intellectual dialogue. Astrology, homeopathy etc are some of the other fields where he excelled and touched lives of many around him. The magnanimity of his knowledge made him “a pillar of strength” for his students. Young minds with their queries & zeal to learn came like wild tides thrashing against this strong pillar and were enamored into calmness by the simplicity of his answers yet full of knowledge. He led them into new alleys of learning, search & self discovery. Most of my contemporaries at College of Art, Delhi will be in unanimity with me regarding the role he played in our artistic growth.
