Artists speak in abstract style

TWO EXHIBITIONS are simultaneously on at the Vinyasa Art Gallery. At the large gallery on the ground floor there is the show of floral and abstract works by Viji Nageswaran till February 10 (11 a.m. - 7 p.m.). The textural variations in some of the abstract paintings is like a statement of the artist's deep subconscious strength and conviction in her art.

In fact even in some of the paintings of flowers, apart from the flowers in the forefront, the background seems to have more hidden meaning, with variations of tones and textures done with firm strokes of the brush. In the abstracts also Viji refrains from using too many colours but plays with two or three related hues.

The Premier Art show (till February 21) is on at the first floor gallery behind the first one (reached through a ladder like staircase). This is Vinyasa's annual all-India exhibition comprising works of 18 artists. Veteran artists of Chennai, Santhana Raj and Anthony Doss, have come up with their inimitable styles.

Doss's works are extremely realistic paintings of orthodox women, in which one can almost feel the various textures like the skin, hair, textiles, zari etc. Santhana Raj's works in a strongly linear style appear like ancient murals in the way he has handled the surface with yellow in one and orange in another, as well as the manner of figuration.

Similarly Achuthan Kudallur and Adimoolam have their unmistakable styles in their abstract expressions. Strong tones of red, yellow, etc., reflect their subconscious visions. On the other hand, the works of Yusuf Arakkal, which are almost abstract though one can recognise a few objects, are nearly monochromatic and emanate a sense of mystery.

Rekha Rao's oil and acrylic mixed works like `Salt pan - Bassein', also combine abstraction with geometric forms and lightly sketched human and animal forms, which one could easily miss noticing. The overall colouring in pastel shades of brown and grey-green is relieved by a dash of strong red.

The heads by Ashok Bhowmik have an ancient statue-like quality, reminding one of Etruscan art with their prominent features, the jewellery and the golden colouring. S. G. Vasudev continues with his series of `Theatre of life', the figures with exaggerated large heads and small bodies.

Badri Narayan has been illustrating Hindu epics and Biblical and Buddhist stories for many years. They charm the viewer with their child- like simplicity, without attempts at moulding the figures with light and shade.

`Abstract and puppet' is the most appropriate title for Shiva Prasad's acrylics on paper. The abstract surface in smooth merging of colours is relieved by the image of leather puppets with all the details. The puppet is always placed on its side or upside down.

Netra Sathe gives a thick transparent coating over her figurative oil paintings, portraying Rajasthani women, lending them a feeling of ceramics. Vrindavan Solanki's are his typical black faceless drawings of Rajasthani men and women.

Sudhakar Chippa uses different coloured woods as inlay along with metal cut outs and staple pins in a panel of collage, which is effectively a `mosaic' of varied shades of brown. Human faces and animals are elongated or distorted.

When selecting artists for a group show some discretion should be used in terms of the standard and quality of work. How do Chhaya Narendra Parekh and Kahini Arte Merchant get clubbed with some of the veterans? Chhaya's figurative paintings of Rajasthani women with their clothes and jewellery in relief are so much below standard and the big one of a dancer is so very out of proportion to say the least.

Kahini calls her works `Manuscripts,' if only because she uses some writings in the background. The torso of the woman, either frontal or profile, appears almost like a self-portrait, with a very serious expression. The frontal- posed one reminds one of Albrecht Durer's `Jesus Christ,' they are absolutely static.

Some very charming sculptures have been created by the husband and wife team Raj Kumar Panwar and Pushpa Devi. The bronze pieces of various kinds of men and women labourers or rural folk by Pushpa are delightful. In spite of being elongated, the human forms, somewhat flattened, exude a sense of realism and express either the physical effort or the feeling of joy. Raj Kumar combines ceramics and metal in his sculptures - the bronze or aluminium heads are mounted on ceramic bodies. The men with very broad shoulders and the women with huge breasts, have slightly stylised faces with all the necessary headgear or jewellery; but they still manage to be attractive.

Both smaller and the large sculptures by Nandagopal have the same basic idea. The `Flying figure' is in a horizontal position; the enamelled forms include animals and birds and the feeling is of mythical scenes.

The positioning of the two exhibitions need to be mentioned; they should have been exchanged. The space allotted for the all-India show is too small and thus the paintings are displayed in a very crowded manner, robbing the individual works of their charm and making it difficult to focus on any one painting.

LAKSHMI VENKATRAMAN

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