VISAKHAPATNAM: From the nuances of the human mind to those of art, city-based neuropsychiatrist Dr C Radhakant deals with both with ease.
Dr Radhakanth, who delves into the intricacies of relationships, projects such emotions and thoughts on canvas, creating a unique fare for art aficionados.
On Sunday, Vizagites were treated to 15 oil-on-canvas paintings by the neuropsychiatrist, displayed at a city hotel. The exhibition of paintings, which were based on socially relevant themes that inspire and motivate, was aptly titled ‘Think and Feel.’ The first painting of the series, ‘Dive Deep’, which depicts a protagonist who tries to jump deep leap deep and discover the treasures of the ocean, prompts the viewers to dive deep into their minds. Another though-provoking painting is ‘Genius’ where a boy who is differently wired is stressed out by the combined brains of common people who challenge his progressive new ideas.
“Between December and February, while treating patients, I applied art therapy on a young girl for anger management. Engaging in creative pursuits enabled her to overcome her temper and tantrums and now she is pursuing a course in fine arts,” said Dr Radhakanth on his journey from the clinic to the canvas.
“It was the beginning and the abstract painting done with her is also showcased here as ‘Hope’, which illustrates the landscape of the mind through desert and oasis symbols. However, day to day interactions with people, with their thoughts and emotions, have triggered these artistic endeavours and I happened to complete 15 paintings in three months,” he said.
“In the paintings, symbolism, abstractions and colour gain greater importance than the form, which has been kept minimalistic in most paintings. Each concept-driven picture has a unique theme and individualized style of expression where techniques such as 3D effect or flowing brush stroke or smudged paint has varied with the theme,” added the artist.
The 3D effect is perceptible in the painting ‘Emerald Goddess’, where the subject’s eloquent eyes are awe-inspiring and hypnotic. A surrealistic style can be observed in ‘Choice’, which depicts three women’s sharp pointed nails trying to make a choice of life-partner with the image of a menacing-looking man floating inside the transparent bowl of kumkum.
Socially and environmentally relevant themes are found in paintings such as Pollution, Manimal (man who tortures animals), Social Activist, Fe-male, Relationships and including State of a State that is based on bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.
There is also a series of paintings that uses muted colours against a black background. These are Choice, Peace, and Waiting for You besides the two motivational paintings Soar High and Be a Hero. In Peace, the sleeping persons are depicted as wooden dolls in a moonlit room where a precarious sense of tranquility prevails, while in Waiting for You birds and a secure nest have been used as symbols where the family waits for the bread-earner. Instead of poignant bright hues, the use of soothing pale yellow, pastel green, mauve, white and greyish blue accentuate the themes.
“I feel modern art is not merely about painting pretty pictures, creating decorative pieces, geometric designs or photo realism. It is about creative, original expression of the artist’s subjective reaction to an objective event, situation or scene while using well-defined and clearly enunciated technique and masterly expression of the inner thoughts and feelings. Thus it is an inner journey that illuminates, clarifies and communicates the inner vision where thought is as important as technique. Hence my series is called Think and Feel,” said Dr Radhakanth.
Comments are closed.