World Telugu Conference at Tirupati has given a rare opportunity for people of Andhra Pradesh to showcase the richness of art and culture in several ways, and one such is the richness of Amaravathi School of Arts/Sculpture.
West Godavari Social Welfare Joint Director R. Mallikarjuna Rao has got an opportunity to display 20 of his paintings on Amaravathi style of Buddhist architecture that came to be distinctly identified as Amaravathi School of Arts/Sculpting in addition to Mathura and Gandhara. Fifty other painters from all over Andhra Pradesh will just get a chance to display only one of their frames. At a preview of the 17 paintings done by Mr. Mallikarjuna Rao at the Press Club here on Saturday, he told reporters that he had taken the period 150 years before and after Christ and all those sculptures that made up the main Amaravathi Sthupa. Most of these sculptures are in various parts of worlds in museums. This distinct identity the Andhra sculptures provided to the world of art has been brought on the canvas with acrylic medium.
Krishna district Collector Buddhaprakash M Jyothi, formally inaugurating the preview, lauded the efforts of Mr. Rao in bringing the exhibition to Vijayawada and wished him all the success.
With his distinct story narration skills, Mr. Rao has put in a colour element in the form of a lotus and its petals falling over a monotone sculpture describing the original works supported by Satavahanas, Yakshakavas, and Vishnukundins in that era.
This is the second series of paintings on Buddhist sculptures done by Mr. Rao after the successful display of the first set of 18 paintings the world over, including China and London Museum. Now, he is preparing to take this second series to London Museum for display in May 2013.
The WTC exhibition would work a teaser for that, he said.