Paintings on display at the Odisha Modern Art Gallery in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, April 4: Nature’s riot of colours is depicted with flair on the canvas of artist Sumati Gangopadhyay, whose works have been exhibited at Odisha Modern Art Gallery.

Titled Saptarangi Vasundhara, the ensemble of paintings displayed at the solo show is reminiscent of rainbow-coloured lands the painter has visited over the years.

Sumati’s expertise, which has been nurtured during her career as an art critic, is evident in the two different segments of paintings she has presented.

The 65-year-old artist from Baroda captures the vanishing verdant lands of Gujarat as well as Mauritius and Kabul in her watercolour assortment.

In this series there are striking paintings that reflect Sumati’s perspective on the natural splendour and landscape of the various countries she has visited.

Water paint is used to define captivating scenery and profiles of people and sharp lines of ink to outline the images. ‘Hamida’, dedicated to an Afghan damsel whom Sumati had come across in Kabul in 2006, is an arresting creation.

The other segment Sumati displays is a work in contrasts when it comes to colours. Bright, attractive hues blend into one another to depict vibrancy. Moving from the joyfulness of colourful art, she has applied vigorous shades to speak of burning issues of the environment.

“While the watercolours are on paper, the brighter set of paintings in acrylic have been created on fibre in reverse, so you have to look at the paintings from the flip side. This technique has been used in the famous Thanjore glass paintings for centuries,” said Sumati.

Visitors to the exhibition were captivated by her series on birds in the acrylic-on-fibre collection. Some of the most appreciated works at the exhibition were ‘Dawn in the Mountains’, ‘Mauritius 2004’, ‘How Green was My Valley’ and ‘River by Night’.

“The collection is very attractive and it reflects the dexterity and genius of the artist who has moved from softly lighted watercolours to vivid acrylic shades. The concepts and the images have come out beautifully in the works,” said Biplab, an art student.

The exhibition continues till April 9.