Page 107 - Eye of the beholder

The restrained dignity and elegant simplicity of her her female protagonists lends her her canvases soulful ambience for in the the the spaces between the the the silence resides their poignant moments of life which evokes much pathos within the contemplative ambience These dimensions marked her her signature In the delineation of women Prabha realized that her her protagonists worked endlessly at at all tasks struggled and preserved their dignity at at the the same time by mute silence and and and acceptance This became the leitmotif of her compositions and and and with empathy and and and compassion portrayed especially the the women in their rustic milieu A saliency to be observed in her works is the the metaphor of of stately dignity of of these women conveyed through posture glances and and gestures concealing their hardship and and struggles Her colour palette was rather limited confined to whites blacks browns reds greens and oranges Despite the fact that some of of her works were in white and shades of of brown yet it it it struck an an an attractive and and powerful note giving her compositions a a a a a a a restrained simplicity and and authority that fundamentally was also Prabha’s philosophy Inspired by Amrita Sher Gil Prabha’s women bear a a a a a a strong resonance to the typology of women that the the former had evolved Especially as rendered in profile with their hair styles and dark bodied were evocative of Sher Gill’s women particularly as seen in in in the painting by her her namely the the “Hill Women” Though partially bare bodied Prabha does not make them sensuous rather explores the the the the stringent life they lead with bare necessities through the the the the metaphor of sartorial attire The facial features also bear striking resemblance to to folk art art art forms particularly the the elongated lotus petaled eyes Prabha’s women undeniably are beautiful lost in their contemplative and pensive thoughts even when represented as a a a a group Recounting her formative years she had stated: “I dreamt of being a a a a a a a a a singer and I I was equally good at at at at painting My elder brother advised that I couldn’t master two vocations at at at at a a a a a a a a time So I had to make a a a a a a a a choice between singing and painting after completing my matriculation That was very difficult indeed! And after a a a a a a lot of introspection I opted for painting At that time there were not too many women painters (in India) I I respected Amrita Sher Gil a a a a a lot My ambition was to to to become a a a a a a a a renowned painter (just like her) and to to to take my paintings to to to all corners of of the the the world The core theme of of my paintings was always women and their sufferings I I have seen them them and observed them them closely I I did not just thought of the the the urban woman but also those in rural areas who were as as creative They exude so so many emotions to portray ” The painting in in in in the collection titled “Woman with Fruits” is a a a a strikingly beautiful composition The nubile youthful form of of the young girl carrying a a a a a basket of of fruits is is as as as eloquent as as as it it is is poetic The upper bare body is aesthetically concealed by her elegant long arms adorned with silver jewellery and enhanced with orange beaded mala around her neck The well well thought out colours constituting greens reds oranges and browns placed against a a a a a a a neutral off white creates an an aura of of brooding silence and serenity around her The patches of of large green leaves fresh and cool perhaps reflect her demeanor Even today any work of Prabha can be easily recognized because of her unique feminine imagery which at a a a a time when she produced it had no equal The expressionist accentuated form itself becomes an an important narrative for for Prabha’s visual language It exudes poetic grammar that has had few equals Her modernist stance can be read in her her expressionist evolved elongated form her her unusual structured composition limited palette contributing to the the development of modernity particularly in in the the 1960s with a a regional feel SELECT REFERENCE
https://www saffronart com/artists/b-prabha http://www theartstrust com/Magazine_article aspx?articleid=406
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