Many forms of Omnipotent Mother

The manifestation of power, energy, feminine vitality and ferocity is the trademark of the art exhibition titled ‘Shakti’. Bringing together the works of 23 artists, it is a precursor to the festivities that will accompany the Durga puja.The vibrant Vermillion red, juxtaposed with the contrasting blue and black, reflect the theme Durga.Many of the artists, who have contributed, hail from West Bengal, and their work conveys a very distinct belief in Durga Shakti. A total of 35 art pieces adorn the Kalakrithi art gallery, where the exhibition is being held, each portraying a different personification of Shakti.At a preview organised by the gallery, some artists were present in person, including Dilip Chaudhury, R G Gowd, Sisir Sahana and A Rajeswara Rao, besides a small group of art lovers and connoisseurs.As one enters the exhibition, the canvases form a collage across the walls. Blunt strokes, sharp edges, muted tones, bright contrast of colours, sketching on graph sheets and tinted effects form the make up of the effervescent Maa Durga. Each artist had a different story to tell when it came to their interpretation of the Goddess.Said R G Gowd, “I designed a series of three painting titled ‘Generator’, ‘Organiser’ and ‘Destroyer’. If you take the first alphabet of each of these paintings, they form the word God. The Devi single-handedly plays the three roles of the Trinity (Bramha, Vishnu and Shiva). She is all encompassing.”Jogen Chowdhury’s painting ‘Durga’ depicts the deity with a third eye on the forehead while Chandra Bhattacharjee’s untitled painting is that of a woman in a tank top with her hair loose, turning away, perhaps from the viewer.A Rajeswara Rao’s painting gives Shakti a modern touch with a pair of sun-shades over her eyes. “I painted her as though depicting today’s woman, but still gave her her regal look with the attire and the tiger,” he explained.'Indrani’ painted by K Muralidharan has the Devi seated atop an elephant with a myriad folk elements infused into the background while Gogi Saroj Pal’s ‘Hathyogini’ is a depiction of Kali with a modern artistic twist.The list goes on with p a int ing s b y S uha s Roy , Shuv apr a s anna Bhattacharya, Sachin Jaltare, Seema Kohli, S H Raza, Ganesh Pyne, Biswajit Saha and many more. The average price ranges between Rs 2 to 4 lakh.To catch the best of the works, make your way to the exhibition which is on till October 16.