Contrasting styles etched on canvas

For someone walking into the painting gallery inside the Government Fine Arts College here, the third gallery inside has a surprise in store. On the wall hangs a painting which immediately brings back to the mind the controversies surrounding it, for those who have seen images of it before.

This is M.F.Hussain’s most controversial work, given the name ‘Bharat Mata’ by someone else. Only that, it is not. On the image are shoe marks, the edges are all torn. This a reworking of the famous work, which also records the history of the reactions it elicited.

The annual show of the Fine Arts College students and faculty, which began last week, has a collection of works, which are starkly different in the content and form, that viewing them all side by side can be a bit disorienting. While some, like the above mentioned one, are reactions to the world around them, some others are deeply contemplative works revealing the inner fantasies and fears of the budding artists.

As the painting faculty Manoj Kannan says, it is hard to pin down any overarching thought or style that runs through these works, because the students were let free, asked to do their own thing. A series of almost-postcard sized charcoal works bring out the various images of the morning, while another large canvas is an interesting study of an old-fashioned chair. A vertical image of a used shirt on a hanger attracts attention with its placing on an empty corner. Quite a few surreal works evoke thoughts in the viewer, which might not necessarily be what the artist intended. But no one’s complaining.

The lithography and etchings section prove more interesting than the past years, with the lithography on limestone being of interest to interior designers.

Due to the recent protests and controversies surrounding the institution, there has been some apprehension on whether the annual show will take place this year. According to the faculty here, the show was organised quickly over a few days. The lack of preparedness thankfully doesn’t show in the works here.

The show, which is scheduled to conclude on January 3, is expected to be extended by a week.