Dussehra evokes a sense of nostalgia for the artists; We interviewed Madhukar Mucharla, Komakula Rajasekhar, Debabrata Biswas, Sumanto Choudhary and Madhumita Das as they share their renditions of the festive season.
art in leather
Madhukar Mucharla’s Durga Chitra is straight from the heart. Currently at his residence in Chippa Sudhakar’s studio, the artist is inspired by the story of a migrant worker from Parigi in Telangana’s Vikarabad district. “Reverse migration among workers is a sad reality,” he says.
After using leather to highlight the loss of business among the migrant labor force, Madhukar explains, “Making leather products is a source of livelihood for the Madiga community. The intricately stitched artwork is a symbolic representation of the work and the place of origin. ”
Saying that he saw his father working hard in leather manufacturing, he shared, “The one and a half feet picture carved out of leather is made of a village goddess – big eyes, nose rings, ear studs And the head gear decorated with layers of flowers.”
Contemporary Durga
Dussehra evokes a sense of nostalgia for artist Komakula Rajasekhar who did his MFA in Kolkata. “It was fascinating to see how people plan and prepare the pandals three months before the festival,” he remarks.
A printmaker who also loves to sketch, Rajasekhar’s work on acid-free mount boards exudes divinity. For the detail and intricate patterns on the crown and jewellery, Rajashekhar has used a mix of acrylic and watercolors to create Durga in a contemporary style.
Interestingly, the artist who often depicts Ganesha during Vinayaka Chavithi festival has attempted a Durga form. “I keep my Ganesha sketch during the puja and frame it later. The Durga sketch is for my memories and to keep the spirit of the festival high.”
New Beginning
If there is one thing that artist Devvrat Vishwas wants to forget, it is the human suffering of COVID-19. The artist, who hails from Jamshedpur and has been in Hyderabad for 21 years, says, “My canvas is for hope.
The artist combines art and deep devotion to create two artworks – one representing the face of the goddess and the other symbolizing the joy felt during chanting and Hindu ritual of worship During Durga Puja.
The acrylic canvas depicts the symbolic elements of Shakti – Dhaka, Trishul, Lotus and Demon. “The festival spreads joy and stands for humanity and equality before the goddess,” says the artist, adding that it is a new beginning. “The Goddess leads us from the front and tells us to forget the past and start afresh.”
a cubist approach
Navratri falls 10 months before Sumanto Chowdhary’s house, when the artist starts planning a unique Durga idol.
After using metal craft, wood, reverse painting on acrylic sheets as mediums, this year the artist has opted for mixed media on wood.”
Durga with a cubist outlook is a symbol of strength and gaiety. She is sublime in appearance, yet blesses the devotees. Here the goddess is ‘celebrated in a creative way’ in geometric forms. His martial and regal forms arouse awe,” he says of his artistry.
The first step in building the four-foot-tall statue was to assemble 28 pieces of wood; Then he carved the patterns, fixed them with glue and then colored it.
“The big job required a lot of detail and planning,” he says. Sumanto has also created a drawing depicting how the goddess’s weapons of discipline, service, prayer, happiness and prayer can be used to kill the demons of negativity, pessimism, greed and fear.
new dimension
With expertise in sculpture, painting and printmaking, artist Madhumita Das (wife of artist Sumanto Choudhary) gave a new dimension to the wooden pieces in the house. “I didn’t resize, but arranged them to form a form,” she shares.
With the prayer for the end of the epidemic, the Ashtabhuja Devi or ‘the one with eight limbs’ is depicted carrying her weapons to protect the good and destroy the evil.
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