'Gallery' showcases rare art forms

The newly inaugurated ‘Gallery Manipal’ has opened up a novel avenue for the artists to showcase their talent and venture.

The gallery is an attempt taken up by the group of artists with an initiative to popularise the art among public. ‘Gallery Manipal’ will be open for all the days and the paintings and art replicas are open for sale. Artists Ganjeepha Raghupathy Bhat, Venki Palimaru, Ravi Heerebettu and Gururaj Sanil along with Narendra Nayak are the people behind this endeavor.

Renowned line drawing artist Ganjeepha Raghupathy Bhat told Deccan Herald that the ‘Gallery Manipal’ is opened up exclusively to preserve the art culture which is losing ground. “Public should be given knowledge about various types of art and sculptures. As many as six line drawings of mine are displayed in this Gallery,” he said.

The most striking feature of the art Gallery is the display of “Kavi Kale” which is exclusively originated in Konkani belt and is on the verge of extinction. This art of coastal area is replicated using the refined methods as against the original paint material using red clay. Ravi Heerebettu who works on “Kavi Kale” said that Kavi painting involves tough task as the red clay used for painting is collected from anthill. It is spread on cloth using limestone powder following which art is engraved.

This art take longer duration and requires patience. The mixture used should be perfect blend, if not the entire sketch will be spoiled. “I developed interest in this art because it is our traditional art and at present artists rarely go for it,” he said.

However “Kavi Kale” has now substituted by the paintings on walls using orange red paint.

Terracotta paintings and art and bonsai by artists Gururaj Sanil and Venki Palimaru are also displayed in the Gallery. Sanil opined that Gallery is adorned by “Kumbha Kale,” “Kubja Kale” and “Kavi Kale.” “Gallery is designed in such a way that it is the blend of all varieties of art and sculptures,” he added.