All about poise and grace

What happens when art meets dance? Portrayal of grace on the canvas. A recent exhibition by dancer-artist Komala Vardana at the Russian Cultural Centre, titled Art and Artistry in Dance, was about the portrayal of graceful dance movements on canvas. 

The week-long exhibition, which concluded last weekend, was inaugurated with a dance performance made by students from Kalaikodam, the institute of Art, Literature and Culture founded by Vardana in Delhi in 1983.

The exhibition showcased 28 paintings which were a representation of various types of dance forms such as the Bharatanatyam, Mohini Attam, Dandia, Dervish dance, Nartaki, Kolattam, Kathak, Saurashtrian dance, Tarangam, Pranam, Sufi, Bhangra, Ballet, Indonesian dance as well as Contemporary dance. There were also spiritual images of goddess Kali, Durga, Ganesha [Nartana Ganpati], Shiva [Nartak], Asura Samhari and Krishna. 

For Vardana, who has already made a name for herself as a dancer, art is simply a hobby which she translated into passion. Her classical dance background helped her portray the movements in the paintings with relative ease. 

‘The paintings emphasise the fluid movements of a dancer,’ explains Vardana. They talk of the language of art in dance forms from different religions and regions.

‘The inter-relation between dance and painting is fascinating and engages me,’ Vardana says. She has earlier held 18 solo exhibitions. 

The way Vardana started painting is interesting. ‘I used to do a lot of creative and innovating paintings in my house from my childhood days. One day, I had done a rangoli which was liked by painter VR Rao. He encouraged me to take up painting,’ says Vardana. The artist takes about three to four months to finish one painting. But she sometimes she even puts finishing touches on her artworks even after they have been put on display.