Artists, some of them still in school, display their work at Chitrakala Academy ‘s annual art exhbiiton
Two students from Coimbatore — Bhavika Dugar from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and A. Priyadarshini of SBOA School emerged as winners at the National Level Water Conservation Painting Competition 2011 in New Delhi. A total of 13 paintings from across the country were selected. The theme was ‘Role of Children in Water Conservation’. Mahak Khemka of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, came up with a unity in diversity doodle for ‘Doodle 4 Google’ competition on the theme ‘India’s gift to the world’. She was one of the four finalists from the city.
All these students learn art at the Chitrakala Academy, run by artist V. Jeevananthan. It grooms students, art teachers, graphic designers, house wives, and professionals, and motivates them to take up art full time. Some have become successful art directors in films. S. Maniraj, known from his works in films such as Osthe, Dhool and Gilli and T. Muthuraj, the art director ofNanban and Pazhassi Raja are from Chitrakala.
Colours and textures
Sixty three oil, acrylic, and water colour paintings of the students of Chitrakala Academy are on display at the ongoing 34 annul art exhibition at Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery. Jeeva’s acrylic work on a meditative Buddha, the first painting at the entrance, sets the mood. A lady holds a lamp and Buddha’s face glows. “For any artist, the Buddha is an excellent subject. It lends an aura to the painting,” he says.
Every painting experiments with colours, textures, light and shade. They also have novel themes. Artist Muthuraj’s aerial view of a city is innovative. He uses an electronic circuit to convey urbanisation and how it eats up into the city’s green cover. Another mixed media work is on the disappearance of house sparrows.
K.S. Joseph’s water colour work captures a slice of Kerala’s greenery. Minimal colours — black, white and red, render a surrealist feel to Maniraj’s paintings while M.Rajesh Nelilagandan brings out a three-dimensional effect in his painting of the Perur sculptures.
Class XII student P. Santhosh recreates the scene at the Kashi temple. “Water colour is a difficult media. So, practice is important. I watch landscapes, study the anatomy of portraits and also observe movement of people by waiting at village bus stops for hours.”
Gautam, who is studying Fine Arts in Kumbakonam says that for any artist sketching and drawing forms the base. “Presentation is important. I pay attention to lighting, and dilution of colours to bring the desired effect. As an artist one should have the ability to view an object from a 3D angle,” he says. His painting is a view of Kumbakonam Street from the inside of a temple.
M.S. Shanmugasundaram presents an aerial view of Mettupalayam — shades of greenery, waterfalls and match box houses, complete the picture. Abstract works of V. Chandrasekar, joint secretary of the academy, have a Picasso influence. In his painting, a lady with a bird signifies an expression of freedom. A number of paintings bring alive the greenery and the joys of village life.
Check out T. Chinnaraj’s pencil sketch, on a purple coloured paper, of a child drinking water from a tap. Every painting has a purpose, says C.V. Rajan, the art teacher at Air Force School. The greenery in his oil work, the Monkey Falls forest, gives a sense of hope.
The exhibition and sale is on till February 19, from 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. To know about art classes at Chitrakala Academy, call: 93631 45521/ 98941-49275.
source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Arts> Art / by K. Jeshi / February 16th, 2012