The Alluring Road
January 2018
The Alluring Road
Abstract, realistic, illusion, serene or caricatured; not a single form of expression made by hand was missing at the fifteen-year-old Chitra Santhe. The words translate to the fair of art, a simple name for the extravagant beauty created by the simple movements of the fingers. 2,500 artists gathered to form 1,500 stalls for art admirers to gaze upon with awe and buy. The vibrancy of the paintings bewitched every onlooker and each masterpiece fought to win the person’s first glance.
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| A few of the thousands of paintings at the exhibit |
On the 7th of January, my parents and I stood amidst the ever-growing crowd of people; some setting up their stalls, some helping them and some looking at the first few paintings hung on their stands. The walk through the extensively long road would’ve been tiring if the paintings hadn’t filled my mind.
As a fellow art lover, my art being present in literature, I could sense the unfaltering patience and perfection. In the field of art, every single detail makes the finished work what it is. But what is often forgotten by the audience is the Herculean effort required to perfect it. Hours fly past in the initial work while hours more go into perfecting every detail. Being a literature artist, I feel the immense pride in them as each one of their valued creations is bought by people who wish to adorn their houses with these beauties.
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| The ever-growing crowd buzzes with excitement |
I walked along the stalls that ran along the straight perpetual length of the road, my eyes fixing on every painting for a full second before looking at the next.
The first painting that made me stop in my tracks and look at it further was the one of Lord Ganesha. It seemed too real to be a painting; it looked like an intricate carving of a stone wall. The stone was a shade of grey and the features were highlighted immaculately. The kumkum placed on his forehead, just before the start of his crown, was the only colour different from the stone, being a Venetian red. This looked straight out of an ancient temple and nothing but flawless. Beside this was a large pencil sketch of an elephant along with more paintings and sketches.
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| A closer look at one of the most impressive paintings |
Further along the way, I saw many realistic pictures; their eyes stared as though they belonged to a human. Bringing a creation to life is extremely crucial for an artistic piece which this painter brought out wonderfully. The best of this painter’s paintings was the one in which a chubby little boy is being bathed in cold water. The expression was a mix shock and bubbliness every youngster possesses.
A few stalls later, I saw a few more eye-catchers; they were paintings of farmers amidst the vibrant green flora. So simple, yet so awe-inspiring. The painting signifies the tranquillity cherished by the rural dwellers that we, citizens of the cities, never get to experience. The painting made me yearn for the picturesque green.
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| Walk in the jungle of green |
The road branched into several smaller ones, as though it was a river with its tributaries. Near the mouth of the road sat a man with a coconut and a coconut knife in hand. Curious about what he’d do, I stood there when I noticed the bunch of coconut carvings that lay a few feet away from where he sat. With precision, he cut and curved every edge. The brown monkey carvings sat beside each other, cute as ever.
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| Aww... They're cute!! |
The next stop we made was at a stall with various paintings of the thriving forests where we bought two paintings for our new house.
We passed some more paintings, sketches and coffee art as we walked further down the street. One more fabulous artist was Mr.Gangadhar, who paints wildlife that looks like a replica of the actual animal. These extravagant paintings spellbound me for it seemed so realistic.
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| The tiger stares through your soul! |
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| Mr.Gangadhar - simple man, phenomenonal paintings |
The topic selected by most painters was nothing more than a still from normal life. Though they aren’t pictures of something out of the ordinary, they still raise the hair on the back of your neck due to the excitement they bring. They bring out the beauty of every special moment which should be treasured forever. By saying this, I’d like to end my blog for the month with a quote –
“There is beauty in everything, even in silence and darkness”
- Helen Keller
Comment your definition of art in the comments section below!
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