Mysuru :

The well-known artist, who has specialised in Ganjifa paintings, Ganjifa Raghupathi Bhat, was invited by Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, to participate in the celebration of International Day of Yoga held from June 21 to June 27, 2015 at Rabindra Bhawan, New Delhi.

Ganjifa Raghupathi Bhat was the only artist to be invited from Karnataka to exhibit his works related to yoga, while only the works of others from all over India were exhibited on the occasion.

Ganjifa Raghupathi Bhat had exhibited 14 art works of his, among them were eight yoga related Ganjifa paintings and another six were line-drawings that were made at the venue. Bhat is specially known for using natural colours in his Ganjifa paintings.

The week-long exposition of various kinds of yoga related paintings and line-drawings was called ‘Yoga Parva’ which took the viewers through centuries of art expression informed by yogic discipline found in dance, music and the visual or literary arts.

According to Helen Acharya, Secretary, Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, the work on this project began soon after the declaration by the UN of June 21 the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, as the International Day of Yoga.

Ganjifa Raghupathi Bhat was born in 1957 at Udupi and grew up in the precincts of the temple city where his father was a priest. He studied at the well-known Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat, Bengaluru and then an Institute at Kottayam where he mastered techniques of mural painting and making of natural colours. His works are inundated with mythological narratives inspired by the temple sculptures. Many of his Gods and Goddesses are drawn strictly as per the description given in epics and scriptures and are drawn in his unique style which is easily identifiable as that of Ganjifa Raghupathi Bhat. He is a resident of Mysuru and has done proud to the city and the country as an artist.

He is also recognised as the first person to revive the dying art of Ganjifa miniature paintings using natural colours. Ganjifa Raghupathi Bhat’s paintings are also exhibited at the Museum of Sacred Arts, Durbuy, Belgium.

On the occasion, the Sangeet Natak Akademi has brought out a 223 page souvenir titled ‘Yoga Chakra’ with all the paintings and other artefacts exhibited at the centre. It also carries two works of Raghupathi Bhat which are produced above (‘Vishwaroopa’ and ‘Arjuna Surrenders to Krishna’). In the one titled ‘Arjuna Surrenders to Krishna,’ it may be noted that he has used Kannada calligraphy which is also his specialty, because he is the only artist in Karnataka who uses Kannada letters as a work of calligraphy, as commonly found when Arabic or Urdu letters are written.

The other pictures produced here are also in the Museum of Sacred Arts, Durbuy, Belgium.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore /Home> General News / Wednesday – June 24th, 2015