Depicting traditional spaces
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The paintings of Usha and Doss present home interiors in seamless textures. A look at the hues by RANJANI GOVIND
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— Photos: Bhagya Prakash K.
Colour rules: The Doss couple is inspired by Van Gogh.
Painting is one of the direct forms of communication known to man. That is why when S. Doss and his wife Usha Devi Doss realised the potential of their deft hands that splash various descriptions and metaphors on canvas, they decided to have combo-exhibitions integrating the commonality in their artistic contemplations. Their exhibition in the city threw open a palette of thoughts — exploring the presentation of the homely God Ganesha by Doss to presenting a host of
heritage homes by Usha Doss — as seen through the straightforward village eye.
Staid photographic captures of the subjects may be dime a dozen in every city, but what gains focus with these modest paintings are the artists’ direct reproductions of their perceived images in pastoral settings.
Friendly creations
Realism and warmth are the bywords of expressions in several pieces as the elephant God is depicted with the mouse as if a child is running to his parent; along with a squirrel that looks perfectly secure around Him; and with large ears and listening to his own music on the violin!
“Lord Ganesha offers a huge platform for us to show our reverence in our work and help us make people take the friendly-God home in various expressions,” says Doss, a top scorer in Sculpture Art during his PG at BHU, Varanasi. His life-size man in cement which took 100 days to be sculpted is displayed at BHU even now.
“In sculpture I create true-to-life expressions of tribal folk and in painting I bring dimensions with textures using acrylic colours, teasing people to mull over and think it is crayon work,” says a confident Doss.
Light and shade
And what Usha takes you into are village homes that are seeped in ethnic settings, old rocking chairs that remind you of your grandpa’s home, sunflowers that beckon you to vast fields that glow further with sunlight, ancestral dwellings that show lanterns and wooden pillars, and floors that glow with oxides and glimmer in her play of light and shade.
“Both of us have studied every stroke of Van Gogh and have been inspired to follow several aspects of his textures. His sunflowers and the shimmer of the flame are master strokes that we base our paintings on, but present them in our own personalised style,” explains Usha, who has her post-graduation from the Chennai College of Arts.
The play of light is an amazing factor of painting that Usha specialises in. It was studied during the Renaissance, the Baroque and the Impressionists period.
“I am consumed with images of home interiors and perspective drawings. So, every frame of a home will demand a play of natural light and shade,” she explains. "And with natural energy from the Sun God that illuminates portions of a pastoral home, I thought my use of contrast colours and textures with palette knife to bring in the light effect was a perfect union to showcase living atmospheres with tactile quality.”
Play of colours
No wonder her play of colours in her courtyard, or a living space with the rays peeping on the curtain and lazily leaning partially on the table, come alive like a photo.
Usha and Doss have thousands of paintings and sculptures behind their hard passion. We have a lot of encouragement from R.B. Bhaskaran, Chairman, Lalith Kala Academy, New Delhi, say the artists, who are Chennai-based and hold their exhibitions in all major cities.
Their paintings are available in a range of Rs. 600 to Rs.1 lakh.
(The Doss’ ongoing exhibition in Bangalore at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat will conclude today at 7 p.m. Call 094441 21334 for details)
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