A sculpture at Prayash and (above) a painting at Rasa Yatra. Pictures by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 22: Abstract images expressed through paintbrush fascinated art lovers at two exhibitions that recently concluded in the city.

While “Rasa Yatra” hosted at the Odisha Modern Art Gallery showcased paintings by senior artists, third-year students of B.K. College of Art and Crafts hosted “Prayash”, another art show at Jayadev Bhavan.

Seven painters from Karnataka, Gujarat and Odisha presented a series of works that depicted the emotions of man and woman as well as their aspirations and the quest for peace. Almost all works reflected a sense of intensity of the artist’s understanding of the subject and confidence in the brush strokes.

In Ashok Shatkar’s paintings, asymmetrical portraits of human figures and many characters of men and women are interwoven. Also, the shades he chose range from deep vermilion to light grey and yellow that creates contrast. Textures of cracks on the canvas are interesting. B.V. Kamaji created magic in transcending shades and his themes came alive in the blurred images he presented.

Chidanand Sutar brought out the bond among women while Daulat Rai Desai displayed the calmness and content life of rural folk. Panchanan Samal’s works highlighted how lost one is even with the luxuries of urban life owing to aspirations, while in some other works he romances the beauty of nature. Pallabi Jiten Sharma created sharp and distinct images and used them as symbols to represent chaos as well as the absence of it. M. Ramesh joined symbols from tribal life, ancient texts and modern elements to create abstract art. The works were presented in oil and canvas.

The students of B.K. College of Arts and Crafts presented quite a remarkable collection. Quite a few pictures arrested viewers. The print making department was especially prominent with fine works displayed by the students. Rajesh Behera’s self portrait in mono print and Yanita’s self portrait in wood cut, Biswajit’s scenery and Abinash’s depiction of hunger, Armita’s reflection of fashion in litho, Mrutyunjay’s zebras, Dhiraj’s wood cut reflecting a baby’s innocence were some of the interesting prints.

Among photos Ashutosh Mallik, Amarendra Behera, Lipsa Rani Bhuyan and Raj Kishore captured wildlife sights.

Installations, traditional paintings, works in mixed media were to a great extent innovative. Rashmirekha’s ceramic show, A.K. Sethi’s painting with cowdung, Bibhuti Prusty’s painting with plastic elements were novel.

“It was a feast for us to visit both exhibitions that were different in terms of maturity and intensity of art. Most works were brilliant, creative and artistic except for a few like a photograph of a bleeding cut head of a lamb that was gross,” said Sumit Behera, an art lover.

Rasa Yatra concluded on Monday while Prayash concluded on Saturday.