Bhubaneswar, May 7: Poignant themes have come alive on the canvas of art students of B.K. College of Art and Crafts here, who have shown their artistic flair at an exhibition titled Drawings.

The annual exhibition of the painting department of the institution offers a palette of colourful creations.

The exhibition was inaugurated at the Rashtriya Lalit Kala Akademi here on Monday. More than 50 works by 35 students of the painting department of the college have been exhibited at the show.

One of the notable exhibits is Madhab Mandal’s vast canvas that gives a view of eagles soaring against a sea green backdrop on mushrooms that have patterns of different animal skins on them.

An abstract painting by artist Prabhudayal Tirkey that depicts a confused man through a non-figurative image received appreciation from many visitors.

Panchanan Sa’s works — one in acrylic and another with ink on paper — are intriguing for their boldness in depiction of female foeticide.

Sarojkant’s sketch with pencil and charcoal illustrates the struggle of a middle class man while Bichismita’s painting shows a closed door through which a pair of shackled feet has come out.

Baby Pristy’s ink sketch of people busy working and Kubar Barik’s artwork on environmental issues are praiseworthy. The works of Rakesh, a second-year student, are impressive for their agility in shading and brush strokes.

Almost all works have a certain sparkle of creativity in them.

“It’s tough to pick out one painting because almost all show maturity. I liked Radhanand Yadav’s work that uses shading in a very interesting way to show a village fair,” said art enthusiast Swagatika Patnaik.

The annual exhibition of the painting department of the college was inaugurated in the presence of eminent artist and art historian Dinanath Pathy.

“The young artists are very talented. All they need is a little guidance to reach the national and international art galleries and encouragement by art enthusiasts who show interest in buying their works. The paintings exhibited here are captivating,” said the veteran artist.

Painter Subrat Mallick, head of the department of painting, said that the exhibition is held annually to give a forum to the young art students to interact with people and understand where they are good and where they need improvement. The exhibition is on till May 12.