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The best of 40 years of work
Anjalie Ela Menon
`MY INNER nature is somewhat melancholic. I think this is a very Bengali trait — where introspection and the dream state often result in the creation of music, painting and poetry,'' says Anjalie Ela Menon, renowned artist.
Melancholy or not, her paintings and works of art reflect a deep understanding of human emotions and nature and a constant urge for change. And this exploration of human nature and experimentation is mirrored in her paintings, which are on display at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat in the city from February 1 to 15.
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The exhibition, entitled ``Anjolie Ela Menon : Four Decades'' showcases some of her best works of art created in a span of 40 years, from the 1960s to the present time. An endless quest to do something different and blend the traditional with the modern in her works is what immediately meets the eye. ``Instead of looking backwards to our mythology and traditional art why not look towards more contemporary styles like cinema hoardings and street art for inspiration,'' she says. In some of her recent works, Ms. Menon has tried to bridge the gap between the two, as seen in the paintings like ``Shakti'', ``November'' and ``The Conjurer's Trick''. These artworks use the traditional gold embossing art as in the Tanjore paintings but depict symbols which are more contemporary, like a gun, spectacles — and even the head of the forest brigand, Veerappan, in place of the mythological ``Asura'' in the painting Shakthi. ``I have tried to bridge the gap between calender art, street art, and the so-called elite art,'' says the versatile artist.
What is more, the exhibition will have on display some of the artists crystal sculptures.All the works of art at the exhibition are from private collection or those which adorned houses of her family and are not for sale.
By Sahana Charan
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Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Hyderabad
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
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