JOIN USThe lotus flower, in all its varied hues and frames, is the leitmotif of Rita Jhunjhunwala’s solo exhibition ‘Unsullied’, and the artist says her works are inspired by Kumarakom, a village in the backwaters of Kerala, where lotus ponds attract tourists and nature lovers alike.
“I am also deeply attracted to the philosophy of the lotus. It grows in such dirt and filth and yet, retains its pristine beauty and purity. In today’s trying times, perhaps, that is how we have to live, keep ourselves unsullied despite the chaos around us,” says Jhunjhunwala who graduated from Calcutta University in 1977.
Earlier in her art practice, she has painted a series on Buddha where the lotus has made an appearance in some works, and she says she wanted to “expand on the idea”. The current show comprises works titled as ‘Elation’, ‘Steadfast’, ‘Verve’, ‘Exaltation’ and ‘Poise’, the lotus is seen in myriad avatars.
Nature has always been her muse. Her last show was about the landscapes of Benaras,
while another depicted Rajasthan in full glory. The inspiration to create pure art, free of gimmickry and drama, has been a constant in her life, ever since she started painting at the age of 12.
“I have always been inspired by the ancient parable about acceptance and renunciation. Even though I am not a ritualistic person, it’s the Zen thought in what I experience around me that inspires me to paint, whether it’s landscapes from Benaras or Rajasthan, and now the lotus,” she says.
She began working with watercolour, but later moved to oil for some time before zeroing in on acrylics as her favourite medium. “I work in mixed media as well using charcoal and gold foil, but acrylic is a really versatile medium. It gives the transparency I want from watercolour and I can impart it with deeper, denser textures as oil colours would have done,” she says.
Unsullied can be viewed at Alliance Francaise from September 22 to 25.