94-Year-Old Maestro Showcases Work In Rare Painting Exhibition In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: In an extraordinary painting exhibition, 94-year-old artist and Dharmapada awardee Banshidhar Pratihary is showcasing his art work, spanning over five decades, at the Odisha Lalit Kala Academi’s Kalinga Art Gallery in Bhubaneswar.

The exhibition was inaugurated by eminent sculptor and Padma Vibhushan awardee Sudarshan Sahoo on Saturday. The week-long retrospective exhibition is open to public till May 5.

Pratihary is an alumnus (Master of Fine Arts) of Visva Bharati, Shantiniketan, and was a student of doyens such as Nandalal Bose, Dhirendra Krishna Deb Barman, Ramkinkar Baij, A. Perumal and Sukhamoy Mitra.

“It is an honour to be part of this painting exhibition of an exceptionally gifted artist Sri Banshidhar Pratihary. I have rarely seen this kind of exquisite work,” said Sudarshan Sahoo at the inaugural ceremony.

“I have had the privilege of knowing Sri Pratihary since Shantiniketan days and he is one of the finest artists to have emerged from that hallowed university. If there is one student who really carried on the legacy of Sri Nandalal Bose, it was Sri Pratihary. He is one of the finest exponents of Tempera and Wash painting in India and his rich body of work cannot be rivalled,” said Dr Alekh Chandra Sahoo, former Principal of BK College of Art and Crafts.

“I remember hearing from my seniors at Shantiniketan how appreciative Nandlal Bose was of Sri Pratihary’s paintings, especially a painting of Maa Saraswati,” said Dr Sahoo.

Pratihary’s paintings have essence and aesthetics of timeless Ajanta fresco paintings and Indian temple sculptures. His works, mostly in Tempera and Water colour, are largely inspired by Indian mythology and life of a common man.