Bhubaneswar, March 12: A vast collection of art works by Prabhat Kumar Rautray has been exhibited at a show held at Rashtriya Lalit Kala Akademi gallery in the city.
The solo exhibition is called "The Dancing Spatula" since most of the paintings have been made with a spatula.
Rautray has showcased various themes through the 60 paintings that he has exhibited. He has used oil, acrylic and even paper collage to portray his imagination. The exhibited works focus on profiles of eminent personalities, portrays the poem Savitri by freedom fighter-turned-ascetic Aurobindo and many more.
The Cuttack-based artist, an art teacher at the Stewart School, has brilliantly depicted the mystical lines of Savitri where Aurobindo explored the spiritual journey of the mankind. Almost all the works displayed are huge and Rautray has captured with expertise the secrets of spiritual ecstasy in these oil paintings.
The works remind one of the European frescoes and art of the Renaissance period.
Using lines at the base of the canvas with gel colours that are used for glass painting, Rautray has then distributed an array of hues with the spatula in his oil works that have thick varying textures.
Then come the profiles of great men be it Gandhi or Einstein or even local heroes such as King Srirama Chandra Bhanja or Madhusudan Das. Showing his years of experience, Rautray has put forth paintings of legends from Subhash Bose to Tagore. In the devotional series we get to see Buddha, Ganesha and Shirdi Sai. Ganesha in particular has been portrayed in various shades and styles. The Pondicherry ascetics Srima and Aurobindo are also a part of his profile series.
Collages include unbelievable works on Mother Teresa and Amitabh Bachhan among others. The minute shades captured in cut paper pieces to present the facial features are amazing.
Viewers are finding the art works fresh and unusual. "The works are very different from what we usually see at exhibitions in the city. The choice of colours is quite varying too," said Anupama Swain, an art lover.
The exhibition will continue till March 15.
