Meenakshi Jha Banerjee at her solo exhibition in Patna on Saturday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Faces of women — from goddess to a daughter, mother to a loving wife — came alive on canvas at a painting exhibition in Patna.

Basanti, the solo painting exhibition put up by 45-year-old Meenakshi Jha Banerjee at the College of Arts and Crafts, Patna, presents a unique fusion of Madhubani painting with contemporary art. As many as 20 paintings have been displayed at the three-day exhibition, which started on Saturday evening.

Most of Meenakshi’s work focuses on the varied expressions of a woman. Using motifs of Madhubani painting, the painter has portrayed her subject in different moods.

Among the most interesting paintings is Laliya, a series of four paintings inspired from the character, Laali, played by Ratan Rajput in TV serial Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo. “The paintings depict the journey of Laliya (Laali is fondly called Laliya in the serial),” Meenakshi, who is based in Patna, said.

Goddesses, including Chi-nnamasta Kali, Shyama Kali and Durga, are also subjects of her painting. Meenakshi has used Radha-Krishna leela to depict pure love and Lakshman-Urmila parting scene from the Ramayana to capture the emotions of a new bride.

One painting that stands out among the many canvases dedicated to women is Ravan with 10 heads. The artist said she has put up that painting to symbolise “masks”.

Visitors at the exhibition were full of praise for Meenakshi’s work. “I love the motifs of Madhubani painting used by her. The most attractive painting is the one in which Meenakshi has shown the 10 faces of Ravan,” said Ankit Singh, an architect.

A few were not that impressed with the exhibition. Art and culture department director Vinay Kumar said: “Meenakshi needs to find her signature style. But I wouldn’t deny that I saw honest expressions is her paintings.”

The painter, who comes from Madhubani, was not disappointed with the criticism. “Every artist should take criticism in a positive way. Many weak points of an artist are highlighted in criticism. The artist should try to work on those weak points,” she said.