Figurative art comes close to perfection in the paintings of Amritah Sen, whose works display an ideal balance between sheer visual beauty and a profound symbolic significance. The ongoing exhibition of 18 of her recent works, done in watercolour and mixed media, portrays the universal human condition with sensitivity, maturity and depth of perception that are rare among artists of her generation. What is special about her paintings is her ability to articulate archetypal human emotions through a delicate handling of colours and forms on her canvas; it is almost as if they speak the language of pride, pain and pathos. Huge ?negative? white spaces, emphasising the vast difference in scale between nature and human forms, and an enormous disparity in power and magnitude, convey man?s ultimate helplessness against the forces of nature. Yet, the juxtaposition of stark strokes against a soft, muted decorativeness across her canvas gives her paintings a lyrical quality and a delightfully artistic ambiguity, masking the serious with a pleasurable airiness.

Event: An exhibition of paintings by Amritah Sen

When: Till March 8, 4 pm - 8 pm

Where: Gandhara Art Gallery, Flat 5A, 1B Gurusaday Road, Calcutta 19