Five distinct artists’ expressions are waiting to be interpreted and understood at Kalakriti Art Gallery. The exhibition titled ‘Image and Imagination’ seeks to explore the realms of love, innocence, power, mythology, folklore and the vibrancy in beauty. At a collaboration of paintings by Anand Panchal, H. R. Das, Jagannath Paul, Shyamal Mukherjee and Subrata Das, each of the paintings is different in its own capacity of sending out a message.
Take Jagannath Paul’s works. The artist experiments with the premise of love. Known for his works based on charcoal on paper or canvas, he brings out the story by contrasting the colours black and white with solid blocks of paint. The colours are limited to bright reds, oranges and yellows blues and greens. His sensitivity towards art shows through his figurative artwork. He balances the figures with integrity by dabbling in a cadenced pattern. His painting Bond of love, charcoal and acrylic on canvas, showcases the aesthetics of a universal emotion: love. The colours look like they have been applied without second thought, with a flourish, in contrast with the charcoal and provide a clear insight to his works.
Anand Panchal takes the village as a narrative and through bright colours and wistful strokes of paint, unfolds all that makes a rural life. With figures of village belles and kids, he expresses a feminine theme. The portraits of women seem to be coy but have a streak of dynamism.
In Shyamal Mukherjee's work you get to see the influences from Bengali art. His reverse oil technique on acrylic sheets — where the work is created backwards. The background finishes the painting. Shyamal Mukherjee's treatment of his subjects is excellent in its distortions. The faces border on being caricatures.
H. R. Das’ work evokes power and dynamism. Through his portrayal of dominant and colourful bulls, he tells stories expressing different moods and avatars. The colour red is dominant in most of his works. His painting titled Returning home, acrylic on canvas, portrays a series of bulls against a solid red coloured background. His bulls are a version of the mythological Nandi in different postures and expressions.
Subrata Das’ paintings have a poetic representation. His series focuses on the unrequited but divine love between Radha and Krishna. You can notice the constant presence of the flute in all his paintings. Traditional works of art, the art has a touch of the new as well.
