Portraying human emotions, nature through paintings and sculptures

CHENNAI: On the occasion of its 79th year of inception, Progressive Painters Association (PPA) is hosting a group exhibition of paintings and sculptures in the city.

PPA is one of the oldest art organisations in India started by the late KCS Paniker in 1944. Members of PPA are a healthy mix of eminent artists and upcoming talents, most of whom reside in Cholamandal Artists’ Village. S Saravanan, president of the Progressive Painters Association, tells us that there is no particular theme for the festival. Twenty-three artists will be presenting 79 artworks.

“I have been doing tribal art series for some time now. Through my paintings, I showcase how tribals look like, their affection towards each other, how their villages look like and so on. What I have heard is that tribals are more affectionate with their family members, friends and animals. Portraying their emotions bring me a lot of happiness. Four of my paintings will be exhibited at this exhibition,” says S Saravanan.

M Senathipathi, one of the founding members of the Cholamandal Artists’ Village, will also be exhibiting his works at the ongoing exhibition.

Artist C Douglas has used mixed media on handmade paper “I have used watercolour and white ink. One of my works is titled ‘blind poet and butterflies’. I have been working on this subject for some time. There are eye-like formations on the wings of the butterflies. They are to scare the predators. The poet is not blind but he shares his vision with the butterfly which has false eyes. The interconnectedness of creation is understood. The poems are in calligraphic form,” says Douglas. The exhibition will continue till April 15 at Artworld Sarala’s Art International.