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Power struggles now on canvas

— Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

Creative strokes: The paintings on display at the Made In Gallery in Puducherry.

PUDUCHERRY: Power struggles have found bold expression in acrylic and mixed media on canvas and paper. The latest paintings on this theme by one of Puducherry’s senior most artists P. Manickam are on display at the Made In Gallery on Labourdonnais Street.

Among the 22 paintings of different sizes, priced between Rs. 4,000 and Rs. 60,000, the horse and the woman are part of the recurring theme. “The horse represents power or speed, and the woman represents Shakti, the wielder of the power,” explains Mr. Manickam. The paintings depict the dynamics between the two: Shakti sometimes successfully reining in her power and sometimes failing to, causing destruction.

The artist’s fascination for women figures is revealed further in a series of images created only using white outlines against earthy backgrounds.

The most striking painting at the exhibition, however, is the now-immortalised scene of Krishna and Arjun on a chariot at Kurukshetra that finds a whole new interpretation on a large canvas. Many of the central characters of the Mahabharata find their place in the painting, along with the ubiquitous horse and the arrow, depicting the turmoil of the scene perfectly using acrylic.

Mr. Manickam’s works have been part of over 15 exhibitions all over the world, with one scheduled to be held at Singapore next month. This exhibition at Made In Gallery is on till December 12.

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