A picture usually speaks a thousand words, but a painting speaks a dream. Painting is one of the oldest medium of art and it has been with us for centuries now in various forms. There are over a million paintings in the world and no two paintings are alike. Likewise, there are over a million painters in the world and no two painters are alike.
Painting being his hobby and passion, Rajkumar, a Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) official has taken his passion to the next step and hosted his solo painting exhibition “View of Nature” at the Venkatappa Art Gallery on Sunday morning. The inauguration was witnessed in the presence of Deputy Mayor, S Harish and renowned senior artist, M D Patel. The exhibition has over 20 paintings which has been created in a span of 12 years.
Rajkumar a gold medalist in Master of Fine Arts said, “I began painting from college days in early 2000 and tried my best to make a living with just my art works after finishing my studies. However, it proved to be very difficult. So, I went hunting for a job and got a position in the BBMP department and indeed, I am very grateful. The company supports me and also encourages me a lot even during non-office hours.” The exhibition is truly breathtaking, and one painting absolutely stands out from the rest. Titled, ‘untitled’, it is a beautiful scene of a misty forest on a cold December night. The painting is an abstract but on second looks, one can see the shorn branches and thick bushes, blocking a pathway that lead to the dark forest. Rajkumar has played only with a few colours in the painting, but each stroke adds great depth to the artistry and makes one imagine the breeze and the cold mist settling on oneself.
On the other hand, most of the paintings have been based on art defining monuments such as the world famous heritage temples of Hampi and other regions from the northern part of the state. Keeping his profession in his mind, he has also painted the BBMP head office which is ‘our city’ in water colours.
Recollecting his earlier days, Rajkumar says, “When I was in college, we usually had outdoor assignments, and we were taken to religious places to recreate them on paper. This is how, my interest grew in painting monuments and that has nature in the background.” The exhibition has various forms of paintings such as oil paintings, poster colours and pastel colours. Rajkumar, says, “I first draw an outline of the painting and then fill it up with colours. Each painting is different for me, sometimes I finish a painting in one day or it may take me almost one month to complete it.” The painting exhibition was held at the Venkatappa Art Gallery next to the Visveswaraiah Industrial and Technological Museum, Kasturba Road till January 26. Rajkumar said, “I am not just doing this to make money. Therefore, I have not priced my paintings, if someone likes my work, they can give me, how ever much they feel, the painting is worth.”