When art gets inspired by realism

Figurative art — also sometimes referred to as figurativism, is a kind of artwork which is inspired by real objects. For artist Rama Hari Jana, a figurative painter, joy lies in being able to perfectly shape or outline a human figure. He has been painting for 40 years now, and his current work is part of an ongoing group exhibition titled Vision of Odissi, at Forum Art Gallery, which has artists from Malaysia as well. “The exhibition has been curated by the Malaysia-based dancer-cum-choreographer Ramli Ibrahim. The show has three Malay and four Indian painters, including me. A total of 21 paintings are on display for the show, out of which  three have been done by me,” says Rama.Talking about inspiration, Rama says, “The line, shape, colours, texture and perspective -- everything about figurative art inspires me. I am from Orissa, and so, I have always been in awe of Odissi dancers. I have always loved and enjoyed Sanjukta Panigrahi’s (an Odissi dancer) performance. The body posture, the movements and the expressions on their faces while they perform are a few of the many things that have inspired my current series.”The artist also believes that there's more than what meets the eye to figurative art. Getting a human figure right is one big task. Talking about his current exhibition, he adds, “I have used bold hues of yellow in my paintings. To be able to justify the vibrancy of Odissi, one needs to use bright colours.” Vision of Odissi is on at Forum Art Gallery till January 31. For details, call 42115596