Ilaiyaraja and Sachin Tendulkar smile out of their portraits. Old men wander on the streets, and women in bright attire dance in the middle of arid Rajasthan deserts – all of them congregated at the Brookefields Mall as paintings at an art exhibition, ‘Oviya Sandhai’, organised by Lalit Kalakshetra and facilitated by the youth wing of Confederation of Indian Industries, Young Indians, as a part of Coimbatore Vizha. These are the works of 50 artists, all hailing from Tamil Nadu. The Brookefields atrium was a buzz of activity with curious onlookers taking in the art. Those who came to the mall for shopping halted at the entrance to take in the art work.
Some paintings were hung on display boards and others were arranged on the ground. At one corner of the mall, a group huddled around artist Hema as she sketched the eager face of the boy sitting opposite her.
The painting of the girl looking out of her window, done using stippling, was one of the creations of S. Moorthy. The painting, he said, represented the child’s desire for her freedom.
The serene profile of Buddha, using acrylic was the highlight of Satheesh Kumar’s collection. His painting of the hen and a cycle, again using acrylic, was different yet appealing.
The beauty of water colour medium was at its best in Saravanan’s work. The daily village sights like a fierce cock fight and the temple elephant blessing a frightened lady filled his canvas.
Urban India was captured in vivid detail by V. Solomon. He has portrayed crowded buildings in the city bathed in the glow of neon lights and street lamps.
The South Indian temples with their giant shikharas were also represented. These were black and white works, drawn using rotring pens. Apart from these, there were the abstract painting, using acrylic, of Ganesha, and pencil drawings of wildlife, put up by the students of Lalit Kalakshetra.
