Islamic Calligraphy in Art, Magic Moments in Photography, and more..

NEWS

Islamic Calligraphy in Art

Apparao Galleries, Chennai presents as part of their Apparao Education program, a lecture on ‘Islamic Calligraphy in Art’ by Dr Ashrafi Bhagat on the 28th of August 2013 at 6: 30 pm.

The lecture focuses on Islamic Calligraphy, the greatest arts of the Arabs. Because Islam forbade the making and worshiping of idols, there was no scope for arts like sculpture to develop and, therefore, Muslims directed their talents towards arts such as literature, architecture, arabesque and calligraphy. Another main reason for the development of calligraphy was the need to make copies of the Quran, which was considered a meritorious act. The art of writing has played, and still plays, a very special role in the entire Islamic culture, for by the Arabic letters- heritage of all Islamic societies- the Divine Word could be preserved. 

At one time, there were about thirty styles of calligraphy. Today there are just six main standard styles. Examples from miniature tradition, decorative vases, textiles and architectural monuments will be sighted for different types of calligraphy as it evolved regionally from Spain in the west to India in the east.

The lecture is also to celebrate the ongoing contemporary art exhibition, The Written Word’.

Magic Moments of Photography

Dr. Mukesh Batra has been a well known homeopath for the past forty years in India. But that has not deterred the scientific mind to follow his passion for photography.

What began as a hobby through encouragement from friends and family, took a serious turn eight years ago, when he held his first annual photography exhibition-and-sale. 

This is the ninth year of Dr. Batra’s photo exhibition. It will showcase the diverse landscape of Santorini, Mykonos and Istanbul. This exhibition will present its scenic natural wonders and the breathtaking views of the volcanic cones.

The show titled, ‘Magic Moments’ is on view at the Piramal Art Gallery of the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, from the 21st of August to the 31st of August 2013.

Company School Paintings

The India International Centre presents an exhibition of glass paintings from the collection of Jaya Appasamy, in a show titled, ‘ Company School paintings of the 19th century’
Jaya Appasamy was one of the founder members of Shilpi Chakra and secretary of the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.

Her interest in artifacts, especially of the company period, made her  accumulate a sizable collection, comprising mainly paintings and early Indian prints. The collection of her glass works was generally based on religious and occasionally secular or decorative. Her glass paintings are a depiction of Indian art scenario.

The show is on view from the 22nd of August to the 1st of September 2013.

Creative Landscapes

( A work  by Shobha Patki)

Bliss Art Gallery, Pune, presents a solo show of works by artist Shobha Patki. The show titled, ‘Creative Landscapes’ displays landscapes rendered in various styles, like impressionistic, nature abstracts. The works are mostly painted in oil and acrylic on canvas , while a few are in mixed media on canvas.

The show also displays some unique ink and acrylic works blended on vibrant canvases. The works have an ethereal feel to them and the portrayals of rain drenched distant urban and rural landscapes, harbour scenes dominate the compositions.

The show is on view till the 24th of August 2013.

(News reports by Sushma Sabnis)

FEATURE

Frozen in time

Photo exhibitions in the Capital document fragile lives

“In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality,” photographer Alfred Stieglitz has said. When photography becomes a passion images are produced from the deepest of forests, coldest of places, deserts and of events and incidents captured by the lens by people with great risk to their lives.

(FROM THE ARCTIC: Polar bear. Photo: Kenan Ward)

‘Accessible Arctic’, the title of a photo exhibition currently on in the Capital, could not have been more apt. as one moves from one exotic photograph to the other, one feels surrounded by the vast expanse of glacial ice, feeling the chill in the very bones. The snow white polar bear, arctic fox, snow geese; all in their frozen habitats or women racing on the snow, Inuit sitting near a hole in the ice to catch fish or icy sheets floating on blue waters in the back drop of a sunrise and a sunset are some of the images brought alive by the exhibition.

In the light of climate change and global warming fast affecting and changing the fragile ecosystem of the Arctic and life of the Inuits and Eskimos, these photographs are an invaluable treasure for future generations.

As an American photographer Dorothea Lange has said, “Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.”

The photographs are from the archives of the Canadian National Geographic featuring the Canadian Arctic. The exhibition marks Canada taking over the chair of the Arctic Council and India’s newly granted observer status at the Arctic Council.

From the overwhelming beauty of the Arctic’s icy landscapes to the life on Delhi’s streets, another exhibition ‘Delhi – its own way’ captures life in the back drop of monuments or ruins. There is a sharp contrast in the two exhibitions but they both portray ‘life’.

(STREET LIFE: A portrayal. Photo: Krishnendu Chatterjee)

Krishnendu Chatterjee through his lens has sought to chronicle what he calls ‘the smaller moments that mirror the larger picture’ as he photographs life on the streets of Delhi. Whether it is pollution in Jamuna, a woman wearing chappals trying to walk through water logged streets or a man sleeping on the cart in a busy market or a child quenching his thirst from a tap, the photographer has tried to capture the essence of life of those who understand and accept Delhi as home.

Photographs are ‘history in making’ with power to ‘move’ and ‘change’ the world, whether they portray the ‘beauty’ of nature or horrors of manmade or natural disasters.

(Report by Sarita Brara for The Hindu)