Hyderabad artists paint their perspective of the COVID-19 lockdown

Hyderabad Art Society launches a new initiative for artists to paint their perspective of the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown

March 31, 2020 01:56 pm | Updated 04:38 pm IST - HYDERABAD:

Artwork depicts the current scenario

Artwork depicts the current scenario

“It is a small but positive step to motivate artists,” says artist Ramana Reddy. As the president of Hyderabad Art Society, Ramana has launched a new initiative ‘Paint Your Thoughts — Theme: Corona’ for artists experiencing a new life during lockdown.

The idea shaped up a few days ago when he pondered on art’s contribution to society. “Art gives strength; I thought of an activity for artists where they can reveal their inner feelings and respond to the situation.”

Artwork depicts the current scenario

Artwork depicts the current scenario

He makes it clear that the artists will not present art from a scientific perspective or do art analysis. “We are not creating any awareness on the novel Cornovirus. We are confined indoors and experiencing different feelings. The art is to dwell and look inward at our emotions during this lockdown period. We could depict art from a philosophical context or talk about our responsibility,” he says and quips, “Being responsible, we stay at home but as creative people, we will let our thoughts fly. Artists will not only wash their hands but also wash their brains.”

Ever since he announced this initiative on artists’ WhatsApp group, the response was tremendous. “There was a rush of messages from artists wanting to know about the medium, colours and size they can use. Some artists even wanted feedback from me on images they created of an empty town and virus depicted as Dracula. They are free to decide on their themes but only make sure their canvas is 3 x 4 feet so that there is ample space for others to display.”

Ramana Reddy

Ramana Reddy

There is no time period mentioned to finish the works. Once lockdown ends and normalcy returns, the plan is to have an exhibition of all the works. “This collection will also document this period. Art plays an important role in the documentation of an era,” he says and recalls the origin of Bonalu. “When an epidemic got relived, Bonalu was a tribute to the goddess and became a significant part of Telangana culture.”

One can send their paintings to: artistworld@yahoo.com; To know more: call 98661 06270.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.