The bull has been a subject of fascination for many artists. Take for instance, the great artist Pablo Picasso — known for his abstractions, he creates a series of lithographs on the bull in 1945, deconstruct the spirit of the beast through 11 lithographs which analyse its form through progressive abstraction. The current exhibition at Alankritha Art Gallery is also dedicated to this very subject: Bulls. Five artists have come together to interpret this vigorous, strong and muscular animal. H.R. Das’s work on bulls is quite well known. He paints versions of the mythological Nandi. In this exhibition, H.R. Das’s colours are bright and he paints dominant bulls. Red is a favourite in his palette as he portrays bulls in different moods and avatars. While a bull usually symbolises aggression and power, Nagesh Goud’s adorns his bulls with intricate drawings and patterns. You can see a stark contrast in his palette, as he works with polar opposite colour hues, light and dark shades. Take his cubist take on the bull that is painted on two canvases, you see blue in contrast with the yellows and reds. In another one of his acrylics, you can see a silhouette of a bull, and superimposed metallic colours which again have prints of decorated bulls.
Nagesh Goud’s interpretation of the bulls certainly can be stamped as unique. Laxman Aelay’s work showcases the stereotyped characteristics of the animal. His work leans towards abstractionism, as he uses strict lines for the animal form.
He supports the sharpness with bright colours like lemon yellow and cobalt blue. One of his works represents the decorated bull. Avijit Roy’s mixed media on paper stand out — simple free-flowing interpretation of the energy of the animal.
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The strokes are breezy and you can see that the animal form naturally emerges out of the strokes, instead of looking like a deliberate attempt. Sreekant Kurva’s works are fresh; he uses colour planes and juxtaposes them with brocaded and embroidered cloth patches.
The exhibition is on till January 16 at Alankritha Art Gallery in Kavuri Hills.