Hyderabad’s IconArt Gallery summons a hint of warm acrylic, oils and watercolours rendered in delicate brush strokes at its latest exhibition Stillness In The Soul: A Transition. The exhibition features the work of artist Lakshmi Reddy, who holds an MFA in painting from the University Of Hyderabad. Her works on display sum up her observations as an artist over years leading to a semi-abstract interpretation of still life. Lakshmi tells us about her inspiration, “I looked at the big picture theme of a still life and the related patterns,” adding, “I looked for nuances and subtle relationships within the lines, shapes, tones in colour, perspective and lighting.”
Since her teaching days at NIFT, Lakshmi always wanted to work with different mediums of self-expression. Now having found one through art, she tells us, “I am very happy that after a long time, I could bring a solo show having 32 works of art including sketches, paintings, relief works and metal sculptures.”
A quick glimpse of her paintings depicts a melange of murky blues and greys fusing with earthy tones of reds and yellows. Their harmony conveys a sense of melancholia, which is at times interrupted by transitory mirth. Some of Lakshmi’s paintings that caught our attention are titled Faded Glory, We Bloom, and Still Life With Chai. They draw the viewers for their influences from Cubism Era art. Talking of the art movements and cultural influences, they seem to inform the artist's imagination. For instance, some of Lakshmi’s paintings feature varied shapes of pots and vases from periods as late as the Egyptian, Greek, Oriental and Islamic civilisations. She tells us about her compositions, “Just as our thoughts and emotions overlap each other, the observed forms and outlines are seen overlapping in my compositions.”
The exhibition also showcases quick and prompt sketches in charcoal pencils, coloured pencils and dry pastels. Some of the artworks stand out for their monochrome colour scheme, particularly in blues -- titled Divine Grace, Intertwined Translucence, Pulsating Finale, and The Drama Queen. For the artist, the translucent colour treatment in the blue series seeks to convey a sense of rhythm and depth in what she calls a delicate and harmonious attempt.
The exhibition is continuing from August 30 up to September 26 at IconArt Gallery in Banjara Hills.
Mail: chokita@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @PaulChokita