Paradise recreated
R. Balaji
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Jaya's works reveal a simple style and an innate understanding of the countryside. R. Balaji
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Jaya's villagers are highly intellectual and hardworking.
A cursory look reveals rather strange paintings with the head always being larger than the torso and the eyes correspondingly larger with protruding eyes balls and gaping looks. But for 36-year-old Jaya Baheti, the larger-than-life heads and the widely unwrapped inquisitive eyes have their own innate meaning; that reflects the innocence and naivety of the humble peasant and the bucolic folk.
Her recent works titled "Heaven on earth" at the State Gallery of Fine Arts were a fine mix of the figurative, abstract, and semi-abstract and at times utterly obscure art that mostly mirrored the peaceful village atmosphere. The strikingly serene rural setting away from the humdrum of the perennially tense city life are stunningly captured by Jaya with a deft use of bold colours in subtle forms, yet imbued with a deeper meaning. For Jaya nature is nothing but a creative expression of the divine personality. The lush green farms, the bustling rivers and the enveloping mountainous terrains - all emanates dexterously from Jaya's sketches.
Justifies correlation
She stoutly defends her outline of the large headed peasants and their analogous eyes when she says, "A large head and wide eyes normally correspond to the wide intellectual ability. I feel the average villager is highly intelligent and hardworking. He is simple and grossly underpaid for his labour. The searching looks indicate his longing for a better life on par with urban folk. But what he fails to realise is that he is actually living on a heaven on earth."
A native of Pune, Jaya often flew from Pune to Mumbai. As a student too she had undertaken a number of trekking expeditions to Lonawala and other picturesque sites. The aerial view of the magnificent landscapes and the tranquil rural life left an indelible impression in her mind. Her paintings echo this theme.
The artist in her evolved when she was just eight years old. With the veteran artist Murali Lahoti being a close family friend and a constant source of inspiration, Jaya says she showed little interest in other academic activities and remained focussed on painting.
Her parents - Ramrakh Mantri and Vimala encouraged her to pursue her passion. She completed her Government Diploma in Fine Arts from Pune and in the same year conducted a solo exhibition at the Chitari Art Gallery, Pune. The following year she married a city-based businessman Vishnu Das Baheti and since then has made Hyderabad her home. With an encouraging husband and a supportive mother-in-law, Jaya continues to enthusiastically pursue her obsession with the brush.
She finds a sea change in the attitude of the art lovers of the city. "Earlier, there wasn't much response for art in Hyderabad. But over the years paintings have been commanding a good patronage in the city which augurs well for the art," she added.
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