Two distinctly different perspectives of portraying the people who are an indispensable part of Hyderabad get exemplified in the paintings by two artists put up in a show going on at Nehru art gallery at JNAFAU College of fine arts. Artists Sayeed Raees Ahmed and Dhan Prasad have brought forth the many aspects and peculiarities of people who belong to the city of Hyderabad and its immediate surroundings.
The works by artist Dhan Prasad are also based on his observations of people that we come across in mundane life. His works unveil the rustic ethos of rural life in Telangana. The men and women clad in traditional attires seem to be engrossed in mundane chores and simple activities. The artist enhances the aesthetic charm of the village folk and brightens up the colour palette to create a luminous and iridescent impact. The traditional practice of card reading done with help and involvement of a tamed parrot gets mentioned in many of the works by Dhan Prasad. A lot of times the parrot strays out of the cage and settles affectionately on the shoulder of the people.
The pen and ink drawings and acrylic on canvas works by Ahmed are strong in expression and have in store a latent capacity to engage the viewers with their contemplative strengths for a long time. The artist’s series of work mostly titled, ‘Basically Hyderabadi’, explores the hazy and passing strangers that we encounter in day to day life in a contemplative light and prominence. The artist discusses each character looking at him from varied perspectives at the same time. The artist tries to fathom the journey of the person in lines and colour that speak of the character’s strengths and weaknesses at the same time. There is no attempt to glamorize the characters or fantasize about their appearances. The stark reality of their existence is reinstated with a poetic yet real essence. The artist
chooses to distort the expressions in a natural rhythm; the amendments and escapes from reality are such that they help to bring forth the internal, subconscious and abstract aspects of a person. A serious and neutral emotion grips the expression of the person portrayed. Perhaps, they often seem to be caught in a trance of self-analysis or introspective thinking. They are surrounded by a cluster of typically Hyderabadi architectural city scape that enthralls and makes for an appropriate terrain for the people who also have been selected from the old city and its surrounding areas.
The present show will go on at Nehru art gallery, JNAFAU till 26 March.