The young veterans' canvas

A SERIES of surrealistic paintings in the Little India art gallery give the tiny, informal room an eerie feel. The first to strike you as you enter is the crucification of leaves.

In another of the paintings, the artist N.P. Shanker shows leaves hanging from a noose; some still writhing. Set in a soft brown parched desert and a contrasting bright sky, a knife is plunged deep into the heart of a leaf with its blood soaking dry.

The leaves are disturbingly alive and squirming, even as the artist depicts their rot and eventual death. The thick green against the dry desert brown adds to the haunting effect. Pity there was no lighting to heighten the mood, but even in a flat afternoon sunlight, the colours stood on their own.

To think these are the works of almost a beginner in the commercial art circuit! Four young artists from the Kalakshetra - S. Anand, G. Magesh, S. Vijayalakshmi Vasan and Shanker - have a joint exhibition at the gallery in Chamiers Road. Not the first group show for the four, the exhibit boasts of a wide experimental range and individual styles alongside the art school-like works.

Anand's favourite style here seemed to be abstract landscapes, with striking emphasis on the blades of grass and leaves. One tiny canvas of his was particularly fascinating - an abstract of nature being sucked into a whirlpool.

Well, there were no titles displayed, and if the names on the price list could be ignored, you were free to interpret the works. It was more fun that way.

Magesh's `Nataraja' was another abstract where the whole was derived from the parts. Streaking hair, legs in pose and the right lines in place on a bright blue gave the work its form.

Vijayalakshmi was into simple charming landscapes, like only water colour on paper can, unlike the more common oil on canvas.

The exhibition was especially appealing for the experimental nature of the works and its wide range. For instance, in spite of Shanker's obsession with a dying flora, he has included a contemporary style `King of Modern Age' that uses computer boards and a golden CD.

The exhibition is open till June 2.

By Feroze Ahmed

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