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ARTSCAPE
Kavita depicts her pain via painting & dance
Garima Pant
Kathakali dancer and painter Kavita Nayar strikes a pose. Her ‘Wounds’.
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As our ‘global family’ undergoes the trauma of suffering after of a ‘sub-human’ kind. The attack on World Trade Centre, the Arab-Israel tension, the killing fields in Bosnia-Herzgovina, Gujarat killings and so on. And we are engulfed with the currents of overwhelming ‘fury’ and abysmal ‘pathos’.An artist can relives these tragedies with fellow beings, but more than that, the artist mirror them too. “These tragic events hit me with intensity and I could not cope with except by grappling with them into the world of my paintings and my dance,” says the eminent Kathkali dancer, Kavita Nayar. The emotions of “Fury and Pathos” were displayed in a unique way at an exhibition, by noted Kathakali dancer Kavita Nayar, at the Lalit Kala Academy, and will be on till September 19. “The ‘fury’ and ‘pathos’ are afflicting us all. And this tormented me a lot”, she added The recent sufferings implicated on uncountable human lives, their pains and sorrows, have moved the artist to her core and thus came out a moving exposition of paintings accompanied by a short film of ten minutes adding to the effect generated. This will enable an interactive session between two art forms – visual and performing i.e. paintings in mixed media and Abhinaya of ‘Fury and Pathos’ through Kathakali dance. What has come out of the artist’s efforts, is a collection of heart-wringing paintings complemented to perfection with the dance show. In her words, “If a dance form comes closest to the world of colours, it is indeed Kathkali. Watching Kathkali dancers is like watching canvases come alive and vibrant.” She says, “Ever since childhood I have always felt disturbed at the helpless fury and profound sorrow of the mythical elephant of my grandma’s story. Gripped by the python the elephant furiously struggles to free himself but get stucks by the tiger. It falls prey to the twin attackers – the constricting python – the capricious tiger. It feels a terminal sorrow. The story becomes metaphor as I grow up. It is python and tiger all around as it were stalking me, stalking us.”
Earth beckons them Dewashish Das and Asit Kumar Sarkar displayed their paintings at the Lalit Kala Academy, which are very lucid and self-explanatory works of art. A multi-faceted personality, Asit Kumar Sarkar, is an artist with a difference. The artistic instincts of Asit have motivated him to find himself in complete harmony with nature. He was born with the qualities of a painter, singer and musician. His paintings never require an explanatory note and many of them do not even need a title, they speak for themselves, and that is his uniqueness. Anything that is good and natural attracts his mind. The smell of the earth, the colour of the sky, the wave of the river and the ripples of the glassblades by the blowing wind, all find expressions in his work. His works are soothing to the eye. His work always perceives the world as a better place to live in, as they always offer some solace to the traumatised human soul.
Dewashish Das has tried to portray the tribal life and culture, capturing their dreams, emotions, hopes and aspirations along with their struggles of life and harmony with nature. He has used oil paints on canvas with captivating browns and colours of the abundant soil denoting the tribal culture of eastern India.
Trio’s treasuresIt was art and elegance personified. The collection of works displayed by the name of ‘Rang’ paintings - a splash of colours, depicting different styles of paintings in a very distinct and new perspective, mesmerised one and all at the Russian Cultural Center. It was a joint effort by three dynamic women artists namely, Anjana, Neeta and Shruti. Their works like, oil paintings, ceramic work, tenjores, calligraphies and jewellery on tiles, were on display at the Centre. It was an exposition based on room concepts ranging from Egyptian, fairytale stories, ethnic and many more. Vastu and Shubh Labh paintings were also a part of the show. The trio has given birth to ‘Treasures’, a studio that gives a new dimension to the art of interior decoration. The inaugural painting of a beautiful Indian woman in our traditional attire - the sari, and a traditional rangoli and puja thali, gave the perfect first impression. A very true to life works with the perfect frame adding loads of splendor to it. The still life collection also labeled as relief works, in which a three-dimensional effect is created with the use of plaster of paris. The most apt theme of still life - fruits. The beauty of each work was enhanced by its frames that formed its integral part. In fact, each work of art displayed here had a different framing to its credit that added a little more touch of exquisite finesse to it. These treasures can be taken as apt decorations for one’s dining room and kitchen. Tenjores art form, wherein pure gold leaf is used, is a South Indian art form. Most of the paintings depict Krishna, Ganesha and Laxmi and can be used in offices. And in this very painting exhibition, the jewellery on marbles in the Jaipuri style, enhanced the charm of the show. A very intricate work of art requiring utmost of concentration and patience. The section of portraits had tributes to the great artists from the 18thcentury with a reproduction of some of their great works of art. One of the paintings had flower petals falling from the tree and was shown extending on to the frame, which made one go and leap forward to catch hold of them. Such was the effect of the frame on to the work. Landscapes that are an integral part of any artist’s vocabulary had in them a touch of the auspicious principles of Vastu and Feng Shui. The high mountains depicting high status and the waterfall depicting money flow and prosperity. It was a belief among the artists that the work of art would surely bring ample happiness and opulence in the life of the owner. The Indian ethnic theme had a mix display of Rajasthani, Gujarati or Mughal themes. The display was made up through a mix of wall-mounted paintings, wood paintings on doors or furniture items and so on. A classical example was a ceramic lamp with a slit in the front for light to come out without any shade on its top. Three women from different backgrounds but with one common passion for art have showcased some of the very finest pieces of art. They have brought together some very fine and exquisite works together giving a very delightful and memorable treat to all the art lovers.
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