Paintings on display at the three-day national art camp in Puri. Picture by Sarat Patra

Bhubaneswar, June 10: An assimilation of colours themselves, the three divine siblings of the Jagannath temple were captured on the canvas of Odia artists from all over the country at a three-day national-level art camp in Puri.

The first-of-its-kind camp was based on the theme of Jagannath culture, in which celebrated names as well as young artists took part. The event hosted by the Jagannath temple administration in association with the Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi.

Titled Nila Kandar after the mythological name for Puri, the camp that concluded yesterday saw participation of as many as 36 painters, many of whom, though Odia, are now based in Delhi and other cities outside the state.

However, there were many artists from Odisha as well.

Among prominent names that featured in the art camp were Jatin Das, Durga Prasad Das, Gouranga Bariki, Chandramani Biswal and Ramahari Jena.

While Jatin Das created a unique piece of painting that analysed geometrical symmetry in the form of Lord Jagannath, another veteran artist, Durga Prasad Das retold the mythical anecdote of the Lord’s devotee, Chandaluni, in elaborate details with an artistic insight.

Young artists were seen not only expressing their feelings for Jagannath culture but also learning tips from the veterans present at the art camp.

“Many of my idols are here and I tried to interact as much as possible and learnt a lot too,” said Santosh Kumar Routroy, a young painter.

The camp was hosted in Puri’s Pantha Nivas.

“This is the first time such a camp was hosted by the temple administration. The outcome is a series of exotic art works on Lord Jagannath,” said sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik, a member of the selection committee of artists.

On the last day, the works were exhibited for art lovers at the venue.

“We are planning to host a grand exhibition of these works in Bhubaneswar shortly,” said a member of Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi. The paintings will then remain in the collection of the Jagannath Temple administration.