The recently-concluded Master Stroke ’09 was a two-day solo show of paintings by 12-year-old Aditya Asutosh Panda at Jayadev Bhawan in Bhubaneswar. It reflected the big dream of a small boy who intends to highlight the heritage of his state through art.
A student of the Delhi Public School, Kalinga, this was the second solo show of a series of exhibitions that the boy has mooted. Fond of travelling and painting, Aditya had his debut last year with the first edition of Master Stroke, which showcased 40 paintings on the heritage sites of Orissa — mostly the temples of Puri, Konark and Bhubaneswar.
Accompanied by his young art teacher Rajiv De, Aditya travels to places during the school vacations and paints on the spot. He used water colours — rare these days — and prefers to paint on hand-made papers that he feels gives him the right kind of texture while being eco-friendly.
This year, the theme was the scenic beaches of his state. The 46 paintings showcased attempted to capture the various moods of nine beautiful sea shores of Orissa dotting the coast of the Bay of Bengal, including Puri, Chandrabhaga, Paradip, and Chandipur. Most of his frames offered macro views of the routine life that goes on these shores with tourists, pilgrims and fishermen with their country boats.
What was most appealing was his innovative approach, where some works depicted the solitary mood of the beaches at night without any human activity. The young hand, which was initiated into painting barely four years ago, has shown sings of maturity in his compositions – a marked difference from his first solo show.
Also, his use of subdued hues — he avoided use of bright colours — enhanced the aesthetic appeal and explained the difference between a photograph and a painting.
