Mumbai boy in the US speaks about the thrill of being picked by former president George W Bush to learn the fine art of portrait painting
Artist and faculty member Vilas Tonape with former US President George W Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush
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So, who did a former US president pick to teach him how to paint? A Mumbai lad, that's who. Surprised? Don't be. Professor Vilas Tonape, a former JJ School of Arts alumnus, is living proof that hard work is the only way to the top.
From a tiny room in a Sewri chawl, Tonape today lives in North Carolina and chairs the department of art at the Methodist University in Fayetteville. "I never thought I would one day be teaching George W Bush how to paint," Tonape said excitedly, while speaking to mid-day from the US. "But, he is an eager learner. He paid keen attention to every little detail during the seven hours of lessons I gave him. And, I had the former First Lady, Laura Bush, as my model so, you can imagine the pressure I was under," Tonape laughed.
Tonape explains to Bush the finer aspects of portraiture
Former police artist
Tonape, who once aided the Mumbai police as a forensic artist, recounted his amazing journey. He said his father had landed in the city from Andhra Pradesh and had slept on the roads during the initial days of his struggle. But, gradually, he started working as a tailor. Despite the family always being short of money, Tonape said, his father never discouraged his children from pursing their dreams and he passed from JJ School of Arts with a distinction in 1992, and got a 100 per cent scholarship to purse higher studies at Texas Christian University.
Teaching the president
About his assignment with the Bushes, Tonape said, post retirement, George W Bush had developed a keen passion for painting. He has even converted a part of his mansion into a studio where he now spends most of his time with canvases and brushes. Bush loves to paint portraits of people from photographs, but, to learn about portrait painting, he personally sought out Tonape, who excels in the field.
Vilas Tonape
"Bush can draw from photographs. In fact, he has made a portrait of former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which hangs in his studio. He wanted to learn how to paint live portraits and called me up personally in September, 2017," Tonape said, adding, "We finally met in March this year, where I taught him about transparency and highlights."
Bush's funny side
So, what is the former president like otherwise? Tonape said he was surprised at Bush's mischievous side. "As I was sketching Laura Bush who was sitting in front of me, the former president and my American guru, Jim Woodson, were sitting next to me. Noticing that I was very jittery in his presence, Bush kept pulling my leg, putting me at ease. I told Laura Bush that this was the first time a student was teasing his teacher," he said.
The artist was also floored by Bush's hospitality. Three days before meeting Bush, his office staff sent Tonape a list of lunch options that had 50 items on the menu. "I had no idea there could be 50 choices for just lunch. It was so hard to make a choice, so I ended up ordering a curry chicken sandwich," Tonape laughed.
Tonape has won numerous awards in the USA and India. His work has been exhibited in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Mumbai and Canada. Every year, he visits art colleges in India, and next week he has a week-long lecture series in Nagpur.
Who has been Tonape's inspiration? He says he has three gurus from the JJ School of Arts — Prof Anil Naik, the late Prof Siddharth Arjunwade and Prof Kashinath Salve — who have inspired him. "I used to think that only the rich can go abroad and realise their aspirations. But, I want to tell all artists to just follow their dreams. When I was pursuing my post-graduation in the US, my father died and I couldn't even attend his funeral. Today, I am where I am because of hard work and determination," Tonape said.
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