Contemporary artists from south India put up exhibition

The strong bond of the umbilical cord, a marriage procession, bullock cart rides and grazing cattle are some of the themes that have found their canvas at at an art exhibition that aims to bring art from South India into the limelight.
Titled 'Of Masters and Heroes' the selling exhibition showcases work of veteran artists like C Dakshinamoorthy, A Vishwam , N Manoharan, P Perumal, Pon Raghunathan and P Gnana.
Inaugurated at the Art Spice Gallery here recently with live painting by the artists, the exhibition attempts to go beyond the barriers of genres, themes and medium of art. It boasts of a wide variety of paintings and sculptures representing contemporary art.

Having being worked in the field of art for the past 40 years and the proud owner of many renowned paintings and sculptures, C Dakshinamoorthy believes art is a way of creating awareness and knowledge.
"Through my art, I portray the rich heritage and culture of our country, especially the rural hinterland. The rural people of South India, their way of living and the rural ambiance are some of the themes that my paintings delve into. For me, art is all about telling people about the immense variety we are surrounded with," he said.
A Vishwam who loves to create magic on the canvass says that he likes the idea of live painting as it helps him to interact with his audience and paint according to the space, time and situation.

"I like to do something different. I never plan my paintings. I like the concept of live painting because it gives me the freedom to create art with respect to the space I am in and you also get live responses from the audience while you are painting," he said.

Vishwam who likes to portray the sea, sky, land and the various turbulences in the nature believes that nature is the most important creation.
"I love to draw the various nuances of nature. Nature is indeed the most important creation that works as the greatest inspiration for art," he said.

Echoing similar thoughts is N Manoharan whose "goat series" paintings were well received at the exhibition. Manoharan who heads the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Kumpakonam, Tamil Nadu says his art is an extension of his self.
"I am an Indian. I am a South Indian. I am from the Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu. My art represents all these three elements. I like to portray human relationships through my figurative paintings," he said.
The exhibition at the Metropolitan Hotel is scheduled to go on till October 31. Artworks range from Rs 31,500 with the highest going up to Rs 2, 36 500.