BANGALORE: It was a colourful Sunday and all roads in Bangalore led to Kumara Krupa Road with thousands thronging to get a glimpse of the ‘riot of paintings’ hung and decorated on the pavements, near the seat of power.
The exquisite portraits, landscapes, rural scenes, realistic paintings and of course the threedimensional village fair attracted people from all walks of life, even foreigners. The Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath conducted a daylong art festival ‘Chitra Santhe’ on Sunday.
The festival which was conducted for the ninth consecutive year, saw an overwhelming response from the art lovers and collectors. The artists whether professional or amateur participated with gusto. Each painting at the Santhe depicted the emotions and expressions of the artist who participated at the event.
The festival included traditional art work, abstract work, Kerala murals and contemporary art among others. The art work were deceptively simple yet intricate. Over the years, the purpose of conducting ‘Chitra Santhe’ has been to create a platform for artist to display their art work.
Speaking about the event, CKP Professor, R H Kulkarni said, “Each and every artist will not get an opportunity to display their art in the galleries. This provides a common platform for all artists whether amateur or professional.” He added, “Chitra Sante is the brain child of D K Chowta, who always wanted to lend a helping hand to the artists.” The Sante at its inception saw five to six participants but today it provides a huge platform for artists across the world.
Nearly 2,000 artist from all over the country participated in the festival and the Santhe witnessed approximately two lakh visitors. Krishna R Zingade, an artist from Bijapur said, “This festival not only supports us by encouraging the art work but educates us. We learn different art forms by interacting with people here.” The paintings were displayed on acrylic sheets, canvas and handmade sheets with varied sizes, shapes and style. Water colours were highlighted by many artists who participated in all enthusiasm.
Bindu P V, an artist displayed Tanjore, Mysore and Kerala Mural paintings.
She spends a minimum of six to eight hours per day on painting.
She said, “Art lovers in the city appreciate the traditional art forms.
The paintings that are exhibited and sold here, are at nominal prices and is affordable by all.” New trends in painting have been updated in this festival.
The Santhe provides an opportunity for artists to exhibit their paintings based on their art form. Appreciating the endeavour, Balram, a visitor, said, “I was awestruck by the response of the people. Buying a painting here would surely help the artist financially and also encourage them to paint more creatively.”