Water colour, pastel, crayon, acrylic, pen and oil, the mediums are as varied as the artists using them, at the latest edition of Indradhanush - Rainbow Gold that showcasesworks by the students of A V Dhanushkodi - theatre artiste, painter and director of Indra-Dhanush Art School.
While the exhibitions are usually organised by Dhanushkodi, at Gallery Sri Parvati, Alwarpet, this edition was organised by the students themselves, at Lalit Kala Akademi, Greams Road. Lakshmi Venkatraman, art critic and owner of Gallery Sri Parvati, was present to inaugurate the exhibition on Monday, and also to give words of advice to the artists. She encouraged them to paint from their own vision, and said, “What should be taken from a piece of art depends on what the artist has to say. Which is why, I always make it a point to speak to the artist about their work, instead of just looking at paintings and critiquing them.”
Rainbow Gold 8 is an exhibition of paintings created by 10 of Dhanushkodi’s students. The painters have drawn inspiration from their travels and their personal experiences, and some even from figments of their imagination. The collection by Indubala T, for instance, comprises colourful abstracts, made by crayons, acrylic or water colour. Some of her works are a mix of multiple mediums.
Sowmya Natarajan has focussed on rundown structures, dilapidated buildings and their interplay with Nature, in addition to some works that dwell entirely on certain elements of Nature. Her works comprise oil on canvas and water colour on canvas, as well as pen work. K Vikram Verghese has used water colours to recreate sights from his travels to Egypt and Israel, as well as typical sights of Pune, Chennai and Kolkata. His focus is on architecture as much as on nature.
Charulatha Sridhar’s paintings comprise mainly of landscapes etched in watercolour or oil. The subject depends on what struck her during her various travels. Dhaanya Senthil, on the other hand, paints only flowers, playing with shape and pattern in watercolour. It is her way of paying tribute to Nature.
Nidhi Sharma’s work, on the other hand, is inspired by Indian art forms from the Mughal era, and also comprises landscapes and abstracts created on print, in soft pastels. R V Sadhana has focused on still life as well as on landscapes, created in oil. Besides that, she has some portraits sketched in pencil on display as well.
The paintings by Savitha Narayanan are striking landscapes, in the medium of oil as well as acrylic, with detailing in her depictions of Nature. K P Vidya has used oil to recreate the simple life of rural Kerala, with the atmosphere of the area as much in focus as the people.
Indradhanush-Rainbow Gold 8 will be open for public viewing till Sunday, October 1, at Lalit Kala Akademi, Greams Road.
