From the nurturer to the sex object, the woman is perceived in different ways by society. A recent exhibition of paintings by Anita Tiwary and Neena Nehru explored these varying portrayals of women.
“I have focused on the treatment of women, either as beautiful objects of desire or as weak souls. Rarely are women portrayed as strong and as agents of change other than in comic or fiction, my art traces the changing perceptions of womankind over time,” Neena mused. Anita, on the other hand, referred to her paintings as being inspired from her experiences.
“Every artist has a working style, and mine is more textural. It is the tactile meaning which the reflections of sunlight would bring which inspired me. Rather than giving a straight surface to your canvas, the texture base and sunlight would bring something new to a painting everyday,” she added.
According to Amal Allana, director, Art Heritage Gallery, “Neena is showing how people show women, and is regarding their place in the world. It is a fairly outward expression. Anita, on the other hand, is a self essayist, who imposes shadowy images of figures and shows women not coming out of their shell. It is a typical dreamscape. Anita removes the figures from the woman when she paints them as mountains and in nature while Neena emphasises the physical being of a woman with the portrayal of figures.”
Picking ‘Half Glass Full or Half Glass Empty’ as a work she is fond of, Anita, an M.S. University, Baroda, alumnus explained that humans are often forgetful of their fortunes and should always view the glass as being half full.
Exploring the concepts behind ‘Striptease’, Neena, an alumnus of Architectural Association School of Architecture, London, and a self-taught artist, said, “It is an old artwork, it was made when dowry burning was prevalent and the matrimonial columns in newspapers made demands similar to the women portrayed.”
The price of paintings ranges from Rs. 25,000 — 4,00,000.
