HYDERABAD: A prominent feature in artist Alwal Sreedhar’s paintings is the background which is given as much importance as the main subjects. The artworks exhibit hidden meanings behind the figures which incorporate an exotic mystery and bring out the aesthetic aspect in them.
‘Expressions: stream of flavours’ is artist Alwal Sreedhar’s first solo exhibit in the city and is a mix of two series ‘woman’s sexuality’ and ‘eye expressions’.
“The series woman’s sexuality display fantasy, desire and beauty of classical European woman figures and contemporary Indian woman,” says Sreedhar.
Another feature that one notices in his work is the use of glittering jewellery which adorns the neck of the figures. Explaining his fascination with diamonds, he says, “Diamond jewellery fascinates me the most which is why I gave diamond shapes to most of my paintings. The background is made prominent through the use of figures like animals, flowers and fragmented diamond stones.”
Barring few works, most of the paintings have been done in bright hues of green, red, blue, yellow and purple.
The other series ‘eye expressions’ deals with more ambiguous meanings. “The paintings in the eye expressions are open to interpretation by the viewer and can be interpreted as a human distorted eye and also as an eye of a fish. The paintings are camouflaged which presses the need for seeking deeper and hidden meanings behind the paintings,” adds Sreedhar.
Most of the artworks were painted by the Hyderabad-based artist spontaneously while the others took an year to complete.
His works mostly focus on women depicted in different settings. “My previous works have showcased scenes from the village life and rural women painted in the abstract and modern styles and also some on the classical European women,” states Sreedhar whose artworks are a mix of geometrical forms and shapes.
“The small tip of brush strokes helps maintain the balance in the paintings. I think the tonal variations and colour harmony further bring out the aesthetic beauty in my work,” opines the artist who is planning a group show on a large scale in the future.
A total of 28 paintings are up for display till June 1 at Streisand art gallery, Beyond Coffee, Jubilee Hills and are priced between Rs 17, 000 - Rs 45, 000.