#Manas Pal
Prison is a strange place. It softens the cold stones and brings out colours from deep darkness.
History stands testimony that many an artist and literary personalities all over the world had some sort of criminal bent of mind, yet they excelled in their brilliance and creativity and enriched the world of arts and literature—many of them while actually in prison.
In fact, the list of the legendary artists who at a point of time became notorious for their criminal activities, may surprise many as it includes several unexpected names. The list will follow. But at first the painting here seen is created by a prisoner Dhiman Roy, a convict who was sentenced to 20 years jail in Tripura. What is most, again, most surprising and interesting is that the artist Dhiman gifted to this painting to the very judge who had convicted him.
Dhiman, a resident of Teliamura had earlier also got national award for painting and he used to do private tuitions, and take painting classes too. He was supposed to get a government teacher’s job and his marriage was also in the offing. It was at that time, he was accused of sodomy against a 10 years old boy. He was booked under the POCSO act and was convicted by the sessions court one year ago. In prison Dhiman continued to carry out his creative works and recently he gifted it to the judge who had convicted him.
He said, the gift was a recognition of the counselling he got from the said judge which eased his life at jail.
Dhiman’s creativity may remind one of legendary Renaissance artist of Italian Baroque art Caravaggio. Notoriously violent and unpredictable Caravaggio murdered one and then fled Italy. He was convicted in absence and sentenced to death by beheading. Intriguingly, it was during this period, Caravaggio created several paintings with ‘severed head’.
Another famous artist Benvenuto Cellini, according to his own autobiography, murdered at least four persons besides committing several other crimes.
Even the great Pablo Picasso was accused of stealing art masterpieces through a criminal.
In more recent time, Gary Mansfield was also one of such artists with crime and creativity. His creations made during his 14 years jail terms made him famous.
There were many other such artists with a dark side.
And for literary figures, there were many who had been involved in crimes, often politically motivated and spent time in jail.
Any student of literature would know Sir Thomas Malory or for that matter Christopher Marlowe. Sir Malory was jailed at least twice and escaped the law dragnet twice too. Marlowe, one of the best known playwright, and often compared to Shakespeare, not only once acted as an Intelligence operative of Queen Elizabeth, but was also infamous for his knack for crimes and ill tempers. He was also jailed once. Ultimately, he was also killed in a fight in a Bar at the age 29.
Miguel de Cervantes who wrote Don Quixote was also one among such literary figures who spent their time in prison.
Daniel Defoe and Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the authors of famous Robinson Crusoe and Crime and Punishment – spent their days in prison- Defoe twice and Dostoyevsky eight years- for their political writings.
On the other hand Oscar Wilde, the writer of The Importance of Being Earnest was imprisoned in 1895 on charges of sodomy and gross indecency with men.
Then there was William Sydney Porter a ka O’ Henry the famous short story writer was in jail for five years for embezzlement. Another famous criminal cum respected literary figure of French literature Jean Genet was also in prison for committing crimes.
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