Renaissance Gallerie recently had a group show of three artists with diverse styles and techniques. Rochana Dubey Mitra’s series of acrylics on canvas was titled Relationship Metamorphosis and drew inspiration from the world we live in — urban India and explores relationships and their dynamics between men and women at many different levels through her paintings.
“I am a fashion designer turned full-time artist, largely self-taught. Painting was something I loved to do since early childhood but I only turned professional six years ago,” she says. When a restaurant in Mumbai decided to buy seven of her paintings in one go, she was highly encouraged. “I did a whole series for them called Spice of Life, in which I delved into the different levels of human sexuality that exists behind a traditional facade that we like to hold up to the world.There is a dichotomy between what we really are and what we would like to be seen as, both in life and in reality,” she explains.
Relationships between men and men, mistress and servant, mythological figures, that are familiar from childhood, all these together with topics that are quite taboo form the subjects of her paintings. The series is both thought-provoking and provocative. Men and women, clad in sensuous flowing garments intertwined, or lying in languorous stupor in the shadows are interestingly detailed.
Sudeep Mukherjee, a self-taught artist and a full-time animator and graphic designer from Kolkata, now based in Bangalore, had his series of 12 paintings in watercolours and acrylics on display. His subjects ranged from historical and mythological figures like Krishna and Buddha to landscapes and nature. Krishna playing a flute on the battle fields of Kurukshetra surrounded by galloping horses, Buddha being offered payasam by Sujatha before he decides to go off in search of enlightenment, dancers uninhibitedly enjoying the rain, a pensive woman all alone at a Durga Puja Pandal in the midst of the festivities, two ladies staring wistfully at a beautiful horse, a quiet lane in Kolkata, form the subjects of his work characterised by clean lines and strong colours.
Ashwini Faldesai’s love of cats shines through her work. Her series had cats in different moods and colours.There are cats romping playfully on a rug, nursing their kittens or taking a mid-day nap. Very contemporary in form and treatment, her paintings are both vibrant and eclectic.
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