United in themes of divinity, spirituality, faith and a quest for a higher consciousness, 17 artists have presented a diverse range of art work in a variety of media at the exhibition, ‘Towards Aesthetic Convergence: Visual Odes in Anamnesis with Gratitude’ at the Exhibition House of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram at the Beach Road.
The artists are a mix of Ashram inmates, devotees, artists from Shantiniketan, Kolkata, the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and Auroville.
“I have enjoyed being a part of this exhibition as I feel the other artists are like my younger brothers,” said artist Ajay Kumar Ghosh, a follower of Indian style of painting. He has explored Indian mythology in the work exhibited here. Priti Ghosh, an Ashram artist, has looked at the meeting between Sri Aurobindo and The Mother as it is the centenary year of the occasion, as well as scenes from Savitri by Sri Aurobindo.
Prabhat Biswas has rendered blooming pink lotuses on his canvas as a tribute to Sri Aurobindo, as the flower is a symbol of his spiritual significance.
The exhibition also had a posthumous presentation of the mixed media works of artist Susobhan Ghosh. Mr. Ghosh had experimented with modern forms in his art, and had made use of Central American style of art in some of his works.
Artist Mahesh Poddar had made two 2.5cm chalks his canvas with intricate carvings depicting an elephant on one, and Hanuman on the other.
A highlight of the exhibition is the huge 2880 x 150 cm canvas depicting ‘Epochs of Modernity after Enlightenment’ by artist Basudev Ghosh, which runs across three walls of a room in the hall.
Some of the events depicted include the French Revolution, the First World War, Industrial Revolution, the Russian Revolution, the Second World War, India’s Independence and the meeting of Sri Aurobindo with The Mother. Basudev has also presented a work which shows Puducherry as a spot for transformation of human species.
The exhibition is on till December 23.
Other art exhibitions which are taking place across the town include a group show ‘Round the Clock Hands’ by artists Gayathry, Kayalvizhi, Reshma and Sankida organised by Puducherry artists group, Shilpataru, which is on till January 4 at The Promenade, as well as ‘The Inheritance of Fragilities,’ a solo show by artist Jitha Karthikeyan at the Maison Perumal, which is on till January 31.
