Paintings on display at the art exhibition Shraddhanjali held in memory of renowned artist Byomakesh Mohanty at Lalit Kala Academy in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, June 19: Students and fellow-artists of stalwart painter Byomakesh Mohanty, organised an exhibition titled Shradhanjali at Rashtriya Lalit Kala Academy to honour him.

Renowned artists such as Subrat Mallick, Meenaketan Patnaik, Nigamananda and various others showcased their masterstrokes. They paid a tribute to the artist with 50 artworks and sculptures that adorned the exhibition floor.

“Byomakesh Mohanty was a man full of enthusiasm and his love for art was unconditional. He had his own signature style and he encouraged his students to master a style of their own,” said Ramahari Jena, painter and an old friend of Mohanty.

Keeping his aura in mind, the artists had painted their canvases with bright vibrant colours and figurative works. The artists had put on their best stroke forward in the exhibition. The display was an unusual mix of fine art and sculpture. The creators, mostly young, presented an ensemble of varied artworks from traditional Nabakunja to contemporary portraiture.

However, figurative paintings dominated the exhibition. A faceless Monalisa, signifying the loss of great art, subtly reminded us of Byomakesh Mohanty’s absence from our lives.

A portrait of Gandhi etched on granite was another great piece of work by one of the artists. The unusual Nabakunja painted by Pradeep Pandey was a mix of varied colours with Jagannath temple on a black backdrop. The contrast and combination of colours used by the painter was intriguing and attractive.

The blend of red, orange, blue and black colours of Jagannath rath yatra was beautifully depicted in one of the paintings.

The mix and match of colours and its distinct variations used by the artist in a woodpecker’s painting was extremely impressive. Artist Meenaketan Patnaik displayed one of his primate creations from his collection.

Among contemporary artworks, an artist had painted a staircase, which created an interesting three-dimensional illusion. Several abstract works and collages were also the highlights of the exhibition.

Works of artist Lizarani Mangaraj, Banoj Mohanty, Rabindranarayan Banik, Stutee Samal, Madhyadhar Sahoo among many others were a part of the presentation.

The visitors were in awe and mesmerised to see a compilation of such magical pieces of art by renowned artists. “We rarely to get to see an amalgamation of art pieces of this stature. I have attended quite a few exhibitions of Byomakesh Mohanty. He was a great artist and we will definitely miss his work,” said Sangeetha, an 18-year-old art enthusiast.