Genius Dhananjay delivers a masterstroke by venerating ‘Vandevta’ in his solo exhibition

A special feature by Bipin Sharma.

Eminent artist Dhananjay Mukherjee recently hosted a solo art exhibition of his paintings titled “Vandevta” (God of the Rain Forest) at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Azad Bhavan Art Gallery, Indra Prastha State, New Delhi.

The 6 day art exhibition organized from 2nd -7th June’2017 was formally inaugurated by world renowned Beauty and Wellness Ambassador Padam Shri awardee Shahnaz Husain who has brought laurels to the nation by becoming a Subject at the Harvard Business School curriculum. The exhibition coincided with the World Environment Day Celebrations, and was organized to chiefly spread widespread awareness among masses about the conservation of the ‘greens’ and the environment.

The event was graced by the city’s glitterati and prominent among those seen on the opening day were Vanlal Huma, Dy Director General, ICCR,  Meenakshi Misra, Regional Director ICCR, and Chand Chudasama to name a few.

Speaking on the occasion, Dhananjay Mukherjee, the curator of the art exhibition, said, “Albeit ‘green’ symbolizes the colour of life, human beings since time immemorial have exploited it, without understanding how pristine and important it is for sustaining ‘life’ on earth. Through my paintings exhibition titled “Vandevta meaning ‘God of the Rain Forest’, I have strived to urge people to respect the ‘greens’ by personifying the flora in Godly images and figures. The different faces in my painting are carved out of a leaf, with various motifs forming the eyes and lips. I create graphic and structural uniformity on canvas through the play of light and shade. My paintings are an idyllic blend of the abstract and realistic forms. They combine the real, natural world with the artistic and creative world. I explore and paint modernism on canvas with the help of old mythological art, expressing the same through innovative use of colours to depict the unknown mysteries in the natural world.  Somehow, they appear to be forming an image, which looks very much like a God face, or human shape or form. I feel that nature gives us everything we need in our life, yet we never return the favour. I got the idea for this theme from the ‘Rainforests’ which are forests characterized by high rainfall. More than half of the world’s species of plants and animals are found in the Rainforests, and they are known to support a very broad array of fauna, including mammals, reptiles, birds and invertebrates. The purpose of hosting an exhibition of my paintings is to inculcate people’s faith in Nature. I would feel rewarded if my paintings inspire people to see the divinity in every green form, be it a plant, a tree trunk or a leaf.”

Lauding the painstaking effort and the zeal of artist Dhananjay, Shahnaz Husain expressed optimism about the success of the exhibition. She commended the artist for choosing the apt theme at the right time.