Sharing a canvas on Lord Ganesha

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: This is the third time that we are holding a combined exhibition and when we started the work, it was the time of Ganeshotsav. That reminded us of Soorya Krishnamoorthy’s famed love for Ganapathy. So this exhibition, which has Ganapathy as its theme, is a dedication to him for having given us the opportunity to showcase our works as part of the ongoing Soorya Festival,” say Deepa Sujith and Lisha Anurag, who have exhibited their paintings at the Kalabhavan Theatre.  Unlike the last time, where the duo had exhibited paintings that were a study in contrast, the focus on Ganesha furnishes the show with a meeting point. The elephant God receives abstract, surrealistic expressions in Lisha and mural-influenced depictions in Deepa.  “I have attempted to capture the calmness and serenity associated with Lord Ganesha,” says Lisha. One of her Ganeshas is blue-tinted, holding an impregnable silence in its half-closed eyes, while the radiance of a green and red combination in another painting is also infused with a certain soothing tranquility. Deepa’s murals are rich in details and populated by unique concepts of the God. ‘Oonjal Ganapathy’ shows a young Ganesha seated on a snake hanging down a tree and using it like a swing. A toddler Ganesha is also seen sitting on the lap of Goddess Parvathi. “While the latter is a more popular concept, the first is a figure which has not had many visual adaptations, though mentioned in the ‘Puranas’. But, I am drawn towards the child form of Ganapathy,’’ says Deepa. The duo, childhood friends bonded by a love for the palette, have also showcased paintings from their previous exhibitions. The Buddha series by Lisha and the traditional murals by Deepa deserve to be mentioned among them. Deepa points out that she would rather not deviate from the stipulations of the traditional norms since that would strip the ancient art of its essence. Nature scenes find repeated presence on Lisha’s canvas. To her, capturing the eternity of nature and the meditative moods of Buddha fill her with a serene quietude.  Deepa is a Government Secretariat employee in Thiruvananthapuram and Lisha is a housewife settled in Bangalore. The two-day exhibition will conclude on Friday.