Sarla Cahndra showcases her imagivation on canvas - show on for view at PBC Art Gallery

1. .
Expressive anvas
c
Capturing the
'. essenceof Indian
.~:; spiritualism, Sarla's
~t painting revolves
'.' around myth and
scripture; while
another exhibition
in the Capital
showcases art down
the centuries
SARLA Chandra, a science
post-graduate from St John's College,
Agra, has been painting for the best
part of forty years A dedicated mother
of two married daughters, an
impeccable housewife and exemplary
hostess, Sarla still finds time to
internalise and paint extensively, quite
as a meditation. With endless energy
she has tried her hand at working on
metal relief, depicting the Ramayana,
us<:d oil, acrylic, foil, paper and canvass
to expres.~ her inner workings.
Somewhere in her works she
manages to capture the essence of
Indian spiritualism, the softly iridescent ,", ,ii;~
metal foils she tends to use as highlight, mind. Her solo show "Golden Thread" between 18h to 20th century. The fourth section, based on realism,
effectively translating the essence of opens at the PBC Gallery, Paharpur According to Prof Rajeev Lochan, documents the social life and people
Hindu existence, of living life to attain Business Centre, 21 Nehru Place Greens Director, NGMA: ''The first visual engaged in various professions during
Ananda, the glow of enlightenment at on the 24th of this month. representations of India by western that time.
the end of the tunneL *** The charm of the exhibition lies not
artists were of imaginary landscapes
Sarla has drawn and painted, varied The National Gallery of Modem Art and settings. They were based on the just in being an invaluable sociological
in collaboration with the Victoria and .. ..
her scaling as per her needs, revolving
~i!ft1 ..
';:
00"
' .
document, but more perhaps as the
round Indian myth and scripture,
mterpreting and re-interpreting them as
Albert Museum, London, presents
Indian Life and Landscape by Western
Artists, an exhibition of more than
~ . ... .
..
. ..
glimpse it allows into an India that was,
centuries ago, its heat and dl!5t, rivers
she passes through different phases in and t~, habit and attire, its vast
her life, styling them on her own ninety paintings and drawings from the written accounts of travellers to India landscape, and the humble naivete of
experiences of travel and time. V&A 1790 -1927, at National Gallery from across Europe. It was only after its people in the face of such enormity.
Indian in content, her style is her of Modem Art, Jaipur House, New professional European artists began to
own, traditional fineness in the smaller Delhi from 27 October to 6 December. travel to India that they painted, for the
works, more western 'contemporary' as The exhibition is a collection from first time, scenes based on direct
the scale grows. Always in eamest, London's Victoria and Albert Museum observation. Their passionate interest in
always striving to enrich her idiom, the which shows rare and intC?resting this new and exciting land led to the
"rtist im presses by her consistency and watercolours, sketches, aquatints, creation of a comprehensive pictorial
dedication, guarding her inner spaces to lithographs and engravings by record of India, in a visual style
nurture the mystic murmurings of her European artists who visited India familiar to western audiences."
The exhibition is divided into four
sections showcasing the works of
various schools of art beginning with a
tour of India through dramatic pictures
of splendid forts, temples, and palaces.
The second section showcases works by
amateur artists who were captivated by
the landscape a,'id arch;tecturc of ImVa.
Many of these amateurs were
employees of the East India Company,
who painted their personal experiences. -
The third section is dedicated to
romanticised versions of India depicting
striking, decorative paintings entirely
from the imagination. Perhaps the most
striking of such paintings on display are
William Carpenter's glowing rendition
of the marble "Interior of the
Neminath Temple", Dilwara, Mount .
Abu. Ancient Observatory by William
Simpson, A Hindoo Female of the
Konkan by Robert Melville Grindlay
and A leopard attacking an antelope by
Samuel Howitt are other examples of
the romantic school of practice.