The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Paintings for peace and joy

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Paintings for peace and joy

Deepika Arwind

Artist Bishnu Prasad has imbibed tribal philosophy about Ganesha and ingrained it into his paintings

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Colourful: Artist Bishnu Prasad showing one of his works in Bangalore.

Bangalore: Artist Bishnu Prasad’s work is the culmination of years of research as a tribal anthropologist. As someone who has imbibed many tribal philosophy about Lord Ganesha and ingrained it into his paintings, he has a clientele built on faith in his work.

“I have paintings for conjugal happiness, peace and joy, mental happiness and even those to pay respects to one’s ancestors,” says this self-described “aboriginal abstract artist”.

Even while travelling back and forth between his hometown in Orissa and Bangalore, he finds the time to be as prolific as he is now — creating several paintings a week.

Mr. Prasad has a number of paintings that look like Warli paintings of Maharashtra, but he clarifies that while they may resemble Warli work because of the stick figures, they are actually from the Saura tribe.

Skill

A spread on canvas, on tussar silk from Orissa, and on different kinds of paper, Mr. Prasad’s skill also extends further to walls and saris.

“I have painted some walls in Bangalore and have been called to do some work in Orissa also,” he says, displaying what he may typically do on a wall — The Tree of Life. “This picture represents the peak of organisational harmony,” he explains.

In demand

One of his most sought-after paintings is the “Script Ganesha”, in which say, a couple seeking a child can have their names inscribed in the paintings along with symbols Mr. Prasad believes will help them get what they want.

But that apart, Mr. Prasad has many beautiful versions of Ganesha — from the “Pashupati Ganapati” to “Biswarupa Ganapati,” each of which is tinged with his own interpretations and abstracted to different degrees.

His smaller paintings begin at Rs. 500 and a 5 X 5ft canvas would typically cost close to Rs. 30,000.

Over the past few months, as the impact of the meltdown has begun to seep in deeper, Mr. Prasad says that while he did not know what it was about exactly, he could sense that people were holding back on spending. “A regular customer of mine, who is quite well-off, told me that she could not afford to buy paintings right now and that I would have to wait for six months.”

To contact Mr. Prasad, call him on 9880825510 or his Orissa number on 09178527708.

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