Thirty-two senior citizens — some retired and a few home makers — made it a point to use their time creatively. They chose not to make the television their friend ; how much can they read and how many parks can they visit? Instead, “We decided to learn painting and use our time fruitfully by experimenting with colours and thoughts while making friends and meeting like-minded people,” says N. Raghunath.
An ongoing painting exhibition at Muse Art Gallery showcases the works of these 32 senior citizens-turned-artists. The artists, all students of Siri Institute of Painting have displayed different works which range from landscapes, still life, inspired from photos, architecture and abstract. The motive behind the exhibition is to encourage the artists and not judge whose work is better. The effort and sincerity with which the group worked to put the exhibition together is note-worthy. The fine strokes, colour combinations and themes all reflect their preference and choice. A few senior citizens have also sketched inspiring personalities.
K.K. Sharma's floating lotus in a pond with the flowers reflected on the water is a pleasing piece. To make the work look close to real he has also added curls to the edges of the leaves with droplets of water floating on them. G. Usha Devi's dancing damsel of Ramappa in two-tone has the effect of a black and white photo. Drawing inspiration from folklore, P. Saraswathi drew a girl with geese and birds. Another unique work is that of Sreemati Jairam, with their its well-defined eyes and fingers.
Artist Raghunath N. translated his deep love for poetry into paintings. He interpreted spiritualism through a coloured orbit; his other work is that of a view of a highland. If a few artists have well-defined images and figures, others have done a great job by shading their work with light and dark hues. Most of the artists who have showcased their works have taken to painting after retirement.
The exhibition ends today.
