“Anything and everything a woman does is beautiful. Perhaps, that is precisely why they get clicked or painted even when they do basic household chores or are engrossed in their daily routine,” says artists Anjani Reddy. True to her belief, her art exhibition exactly reflects her thought process.
Titled O Womaniya!, Anjani Reddy’s 12th solo show is all about women, beauty, grace, elegance, moods and colours. “I have been working on this theme since the year 2000. Women have been the center of my ideas and concepts and this one is definitely special.” After retiring as the Head of the Department, Fine Arts from JNAFAU, she has been consistently trying to give her best to art lovers in the city.
The current theme expresses a certain kind of mood or raaga. Lone female figures in solitude, having a dialogue with nature, while a bird perched on a nearby branch watches, are not just artistic, but also poetic and musical at the same time. The idea of the title of the exhibition she says is a man’s perception. “When Sudheer, curator of the exhibition, walked into my studio and looked at these paintings, O Womaniya was the first thing he said and so, we thought it is an apt title for my exhibition.”
The concept behind her paintings, she explains, “The subject of matter of my painting is either nostalgic or imaginative based on dreams, fantasies and beautiful experiences of growing up and surroundings etc. I have always enjoyed creating beautiful compositions that transport viewers into my world, with graceful female figures set amongst the natural environment.” The paintings are not centered around one kind of woman. They are contemporary women living a few frozen movements from their life of hope, tragedy, nostalgia and belief. It represents how they are in their own space.
A striking feature of the exhibition is the colour scheme. Most of the paintings depict women colourfully dressed in traditional attire, leisurely engaged in day to day activities or participating in numerous rituals and festive celebrations. “The thought of applying myself to serious aspects of human existence occurred to me, but my attempt to portray them turn futile. So, having realised my inability to find inspiration from the harder side of life, I reverted to my forte of painting what I believe in – 'the woman' resplendent in all the glory. This art expo is as a tribute to the female form.”