Of home and the heart: Exhibition of paintings

Hosted by the Inspire Art Gallery, the painting exhibition ‘Twinkle’ themed culture, tries to depict the some of the basis of our society - agriculture and religion, crafted by the duo. Rajkumar, an employee of Life Insurance Corporation of India, presents a wide array of oil-on-canvas and acrylic-on-canvas paintings in his debut exhibition. The works, inspired by his brother Arjun Kumar who is also an artist, are subtly captivating by the use of varied shades which is the trademark of the artist. Rajkumar captures the beauty of innocence through a very detailed work of a young Krishna eating stolen butter. Other works include a woman who seems lost in her world of dance, where the feminine subject is painted with different shades on her forehead depicting her state of trance. However, the masterpiece is the portrait of India’s favourite son, Sachin Tendulkar, who is seen waving the Indian tricolour. Says the artist, “This painting is one which I hold very dear. I would like to present it to Sachin personally.”In contrast, the works of Usha Vinod are inspired by her religious childhood and the deep influence of Bhagavad Gita on her. Usha’s works include canvas paintings of various goddesses, portrayed in a simple style. Usha, who has participated in various painting exhibitions at Ravindra Bharati and Shilparamam, goes about her work in a very direct and modest way. She is a multi-faceted person who has gained recognition in singing and writing as well. Currently working as a Superintendent in the A.P Forest Department, Usha laments, “I am able to indulge in paintings only on Sundays due to my work. However, I am very excited as I am going to experiment with different forms of painting.” One particular exhibit which arouses the curiosity of the viewer is that of a European woman. On being questioned, Usha says that this painting was the result of a search for a new perspective and the wider choices of colours offered in this made it her own.This exhibits are priced from Rs 8,000 to Rs 50,000. The exhibition is open till April 25 at Inspire Art Gallery, Hyderguda.