Paintings line the walls of Shrishti art gallery. From countryside scenes of Karnataka to river side views of Benaras, Anand Bekwad has a fondness for painting landscapes.
A young artist from Belgaum, Karnataka, he is now based in Pune. His rural perspectives and village landscapes from an aerial perspective are inspired by where he is from. His paintings, done in acrylic or watercolours, offer a view of the countryside in patches of green and brown to depict fields and grounds, and as your eyes travel up the canvas, you see sky and mountains meeting in a confluence of colours and shades.
There is romantic, dreamy quality to his paintings as seen in his watercolours of Benares. Views of temples beside the river, is overshadowed by the colours of the sky in rose, yellow and blue. However, it is the black and white painting of Benares from an aerial view, which shows the winding river, crowded banks and the distant horizon that is fascinating.
The prize pieces of his collection are the city landscapes. A black background has the glow of the setting sun and the lights of the city illuminating it. Another is a cityscape of Mumbai, done in mixed media. Using charcoal and paint the buildings pop out against a background of mountains and sky in muted shades of grey and purple. Aerial landscapes offer a birds-eye view of the city below, and by use of colour, he draws the eye to fields, water bodies and building.
Many of Anand’s aerial perspectives are inspired by Lonavala and the views from his bus journeys, from Pune to Mumbai. His paintings are interesting and appealing, and from abstracts to landscapes, there is variety and something for everyone to appreciate.
The exhibition is on till August 27, at Shrishti art gallery, Road no. 15, Jubilee Hills.
