March 18, 2005

Bajracharya's paintings depict the significance of worshipping and other rituals of Newari community

By THAKUR AMGAI

Newari community has one of the richest cultural heritages in the world. From worshipping various incarnations of Hindu deities to other traditional practices it has its own set of unique rituals that amuses people from other communities.

Fascinated by this rich culture, artists, particularly from the Newari community who have seen these traditional rituals since their childhood, have always taken the aid of brush and color to stroke the impression instilled in their mind on canvas. Emerging painter Pradip Kumar Bajracharya, too, has made his identity as a painter of this theme.

In his latest exhibition titled "Festive Images", which begun at the Buddha Gallery on Sunday (March 13), Bajracharya has put up more than two dozen colorful paintings all depicting one or the other facet of the life of Newari people.

Canvases splashed with red, yellow and white underscore the importance of various colors during worshipping and enchanting of Newari community. Vibrant and uplifting colors set against a dark backdrop give a feeling of power and austerity. In addition, as written by Deneth Pi Umakshi, the curator of the gallery, the use of sharp rapier like brush strokes also add drama, excitement and movement.

"I have extensively used the colors used for worshipping as they have left a deep impression in my mind since my childhood about our culture," said Bajracharya. "The ritual of putting on a 'tika' on religious and traditional functions has inspired me to use such colors extensively in my paintings." Indeed, the white, red, blue and other blotches streaked all over the canvas give the impression of how the elements of the paintings - comprised of Newari people attending various ritual course - are fond of putting on a 'tika'.

Typical Newari dances, processions, and the pictures of people innocently attending to their rituals show the obliviousness of Newari culture to the fast changing trend of fashion in Kathmandu Valley. Despite the invasion of foreign culture and the trend of abandoning cultural practices, Newari people in the valley have been treasuring their tradition and keeping the evils of cultural invasion at bay.

Although most paintings are not very clear in forms, lines and colors, they impart a clear and powerful overview of the Newari culture, on close inspection. Pictures of Newari people clad in traditional black robes with a white strap tied round their waist and a flower brooched on the upperside of the earlobes seen in all paintings convey how the community has saved their identity amid the urban lifestyle of Kathmandu engulfed by modern day fashionable attires.

Bajracharya is a founding member of Kasthamandap Art Studio. He has made his separate identity as an artist who has been evolving. "His theme of festivals and culture continues to evolve with each new exhibition," says Umakshi. "His work imparts a proud reflection of all the colorful energy and dynamism associated with the Newari people and their many festivals."

"Festivals are a means of expressionism within the diverse communities of the Kathmandu valley and as a gifted artist Pradip is able to capture this by transfixing this colorful form for everyone's enjoyment in his festive images," said Umakshi

While Pradip has participated in over a dozen group exhibition including one in India, this is his second solo exhibition. He had showcased paintings of similar theme "Festive Mood" at the Siddhartha Art Gallery in 2003. Bajracharya has won 2nd prize in the 33rd National Art Exhibition organized by Nepal Association of Fine Arts (NAFA) in 2002.

To add taste to the exhibition, the exhibition inaugurated amid a function showing Newari Cultural program. "I felt as if the paintings had come out and danced together and spoke to all of us," said senior poet and art critic Manjul.