Nature's monochromatic palette

Recently concluded was an art exhibition by 75-year-old artist Pushpa Bagrodia, who for the first time exhibited her exploration with charcoals in aptly titled 'Shwet-Syam'. The artist had been majorly known for her water-colours.

The show, presented by Creativity Art Gallery and curated by Uma Nair was held at Lalit Kala Akademi.

The chief guest of the inaugural evening was eminent singer-actor-musician and Padma Shri recipient Shekhar Sen, known for his mono-acts on Kabir and Vivekanand apart from other historical and mythological figures.

The artist smiles and says, "Everyone has been asking why I chose to draw with charcoal, but actually there isn't any specific reason behind choosing charcoal. From the beginning I have loved the monochromatic combination, so this time I experimented with charcoal and created several works. There are a few works which I love a lot – there's this 9X15 sketch of single feather. Once I saw it lying on the ground, and the sight was so beautiful that I couldn't resist making a drawing."

Most of her sketches are inspired by nature, as one could see flowers and leaves in all the frames, but one sketch looked like a monochrome photograph rather than the usual floral wonders! Talking about that drawing she says, "I tried clicking a photo form a moving car to see how it appears to be. Since it looked quite interesting to me I made a drawing out of it." This unusually beautiful sketch of her seems to be that of a moving picture, quite an unusual moment to capture on the canvas.

Inspired by her love for nature, various plants, bonsais and chirps of birds and bees, the artist created some dream like charcoal works displaying a little paradise during the exhibition. Uma Nair writes, "These charcoals that brim on the dominions of both reality and imagination defines Pushpa as a silent sage, sitting and filling silent

brisk strokes onto her white sheets of paper that mirror the open celled, ledges of nature's moods and meanderings through the leaves shrubs and flowers perhaps presiding over twenty thousand intimations in the mind and hand of a lover of nature. This was my first attempt at charcoal."

"It feels very good when a stranger comes up and says, if you can paint this well at this age, then why can't we?" expressed Pushpa Bagrodia, when asked about her experience at the exhibition.