Colours of life

Amarjot Kaur

At the Museum of Fine Arts, Department of Art History and Visual Arts, Panjab University, one’s senses is treated to the creative exploits of several artists across the region. The second annual exhibition by Group 21, showcases the artworks of various artists, including AS Bhullar (Delhi), Anil Kohli (Delhi), Anup Ranjan Chatterjee (Kolkata), Amita (Ludhiana), Bheem Malhotra (Chandigarh), Ramji Sharma (Mumbai), Indu Mishra (Bokaro), Rajib Deyashi (Kolkata), SC Ahuja (Delhi), Sourabh Ahuja (Delhi), Suprabhat Bhaduri (Kolkata) and Kamalnath (Saharanpur).

While the pen and ink works of SC Ahuja explore the association of man with nature, he also paints birds and fishes to explore the depths of life and existence. “I make use of fish to show the depth of the ocean and birds to show the vastness of the sky,” he says. Amita’s works on bamboos, called the Bamboo Series, features different tones of bamboos, created with white texture, which gives it a three-dimensional effect. And for those of you who crave for an aesthetic view of landscapes, the Underwater Series by AS Bhullar and abstract landscapes by Suprabhat are ripe fodder for your mind. And if you are the traveller, Bheem Malhotra’s water colour paintings will certainly entice you. Bheem, who paints the Gwalior Fort, beaches of Kerala, and the Himalayas, injects life into the beautiful places he has visited.

Anup Ranjan Chatterjee experiments with a series of techniques as well as mediums to explore women empowerment. He uses wash technique to make portraits of women and Radha Krishna, and uses earth colours on scrolls of canvas to paint Yashodha and Krishna. “It’s difficult to use earth colours because they need imli seeds to be a binding agent; it’s hard to make these colours,” says Anup.  (On till March 13)

amarjot@tribunemail.com