“Almost all the works of Chinmay at the fine arts Gallery evidence the maturity of the artist. This becomes clear so as one turns to the oils of which Mehta’s “Agonies and Cries” is a genuine meaningful piece. Here the artist not only shows commendable control over the medium but also expresses something deeper than merely the surface impression-moral, the oil allows more freedom…. KeshavMalick
As an artist, he is extraordinarily versatile, cherishing the facility to work in diverse media, sizes, and techniques over stylistic conformity to a single medium, genre, size, technique, and manner of visualization.
From semi-abstract figurative forms, Mehta moved to indigenous abstraction flowing with the multiple mediums that he has experimented with, the proactive impulses working in a place and exercising absolute control over his multifaceted artistic excellence
For more than four decades through his contribution in art, paintings, batiks, murals, architectural designs, and cultural activism, he has brought contemporary relevance to the indigenous art as well as has empowered the local artisans, thereby bridging the gap between art, architectural design and popular culture-. In his paintings, he has invented newer traditions, by juxtaposing contemporary art, with popular culture and folk art with urban trends. He has been very close to his own culture and has often taken inspiration from tribal and folk art. As “a painter of peasant life”, he has painted many village activities in oil, tempera, and batik. The painting “returning from the fair” was published by The Hindustan Times, as a Diwali card. His underlying quest has been based on three principles
He has never believed in sticking a singular style and technique. From paintings abstract and semi-figurative two-dimensional art, he liberated himself from dimensional constraints and moved towards relief mural installation and ultimately to designing of the village resorts and craft villages. During this creative exploratory phase, he did create a series of artworks with sprayed color over the grass to achieve the textures on the canvas. One of these artworks was selected in the Annual national show organized by Bharat Bhavan Bhopal.
There is no limit to the medium and surface for the truly best talent, Chinmay shall never wish to limit him to one medium of creative creation. In fact, breaking boundaries is considered to be the paramount feature of unique multi-medium creativity.
Batik artist – His batik art got national and international acclaim. A group of travelers, while paying a visit to Rambagh palace hotel, Rajasthan got so fascinated with his batik art, that they invited him to the United States of America to hold an exhibition so as to make the art form popular there. His batik artworks got sold like hot cakes in the United States of America. In his batik creations, he portrayed the village life of Rajasthan. Puppeteers, women, animal riders, rustic folk, marriages, fairs, etc. with organic batik cracks in the background, reflect a strong connection with the soil of Rajasthan. In one of his batik creations, titled “returning from the fair”, he has portrayed the journey of women folk returning from the village fair. Charles Fabri, an eminent British art critic has called this painting a “post-Yamini Roy” style of art. There is a kind of spiritual abstraction that resonates in his art, but which at the same time, remains quite uniquely undefined and unexplained even after elaborate interpretations. The simplicity of his art form carries a complex meaning underneath indigenous form of art, he has tried to preserve our pristine glorious identity.