The soothing ambience of the art exhibition, “Going Beyond Time and Space” at Art Houz, Jenny's club, Coimbatore is just perfect after the blazing summer afternoon heat outside. And as we enter, a melange of bright and vibrant colours, rich texture grabs our attention. It is a painting by Amit Kumar Lodh, titled “Life of I”. A clown and a couple in the middle of an argument are his subjects. The clown represents society and the woman is archetypal , trying to win her cause using her talkativeness while the man, looks aggressive in his bright red boxing gear.
In his painting, “Nuclear family” a woman reads a book and the man takes care of the child. Lodh records the changes in our society. Interestingly, every painting of his includes a cat. “My cat recovered from an accident which temporarily paralyzed him. If, he can survive something grave, so can we. This inspired me greatly, ” explains the artist.
Women and nature are central to the paintings of B.N. Hariprasad. “My inspiration is my girlfriend,” he chuckles. His works also depict the beauty and tranquillity of nature, amidst the pandemonium of the modern society. The colours green and blue predominate his works. “Waiting” shows a beautiful woman, surrounded by lush green nature, waiting for her loved one. “I grew up in a town known for its scenic beauty, and it reflects in my paintings,”he says.
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P V Gangu Naidu believes that his art echoes his childhood memories. One of his paintings, “Nostalgia” has a Tulsi plant as its central focus, with bright red roses and babies hovering around. “I have a lot of fond memories associated with this painting and the plant is a symbol of my mother's love ," he says. Naidu uses a mixture of charcoal and Indian ink, which gives a sense of antiquity.
Santhosh D.D. Andrade’s exuberant use of colours takes the breath away. He is inspired by Madhubani tradition, which revolves around mythological characters . “Madhubani is my base, but I give it my own touch, You will also find the influence of the culture of Dakshin Kannada in my paintings,” says Santhosh.
Ramakrishna Nayak V, in his well-known series, “Prakruti, Time and Space” illustrates nature through the geometric patterns and animated colours. His paintings deploy both the beauty and fury of Nature. a flower blossoms in one painting while another shows the aftermath of an earthquake.
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The clouds and the rain in Ravi M.R. Waghle’s paintings are refreshing. Clouds have a lot of significance in his paintings, he says. “On talking to the local people of a few places that I visited, I understood that clouds are also used to predict time and weather, like the sun is. Clouds are integral to their existence. This intrigued and inspired me,”says Ravi. He vehemently feels the need to protect nature, and this reflects in his work.