Visual Poetry of Gajendra Prasad Sahu

Ved Prakash Bhardwaj Gajendra Prasad Sahu's solo exhibition, which began on April 6 at the Visual Art Gallery of the India Habitat Center in New Delhi, can be called a picture poem in a way. This exhibition Chitrakavya, showcasing the artistic journey of about 45 years, will run till April 10, 2023.

Gajendra Prasad Sahu works in Mixed Media. He prefers to work in a mix of mediums such as ink, watercolor and acrylic on canvas and paper. Gajendra Prasad Sahu's art brings forth the importance of love and nature in life. Nature has always been an inspiration to artists. The colors and forms that an artist creates are already present in nature, which the artist uses to express his feelings. The paintings in this exhibition show lovers enjoying romance under the exemplary Kadamba tree, but love is not just a human behavior. Love is the basis of life of every creature of nature. That's why in these pictures we see birds courting each other on trees and somewhere elephants in a pond are seen courting each other with lotus flowers. The use of beautiful images of nature in the background in the picture makes this love affair more pleasing. It is no wonder if the onlookers orissa artist, start swimming in ecstasy at the sight of these pictures.

Gajendra Prasad Sahu has worked in the Department of Printmaking at BK Art and Craft College, Bhubaneswar. Being a print maker, we can see its influence in his paintings as well. He has been successful in bringing tonal variation in a painting as in a print. He has also been a singer on radio and is also an actor. The result of the association of various arts is that each of his paintings turns into a stage in which there is music as well as theatrical performance.

The paintings included in the exhibition cannot be placed in any one category in terms of subject matter. He creates the five elements i.e. earth, water, fire, air and sky together which has been the tradition of Indian painting. In his work, the inspiration of miniature painting can also be seen along with the folk arts of Orissa. He has used the method of picture composition of miniature painting in a modern way which makes these paintings more effective.

Due to Gajendra Prasad Sahu's association with music and acting, he has been very close to ancient Indian literature. Like the nature depiction of Kalidas, subtle depiction of nature is also found in his paintings. He also reveals the need for its conservation by displaying nature as a festival through his art.