Crowds flock to street art at Dasara

A road in Mysore has been turned into an art street with a variety of sketches and paintings displayed on either side of the footpath.

The Vinoba Road was the venue of Dasara for art lovers who were seen eagerly going round the display, the artists drawing or painting them sat to answer the questions about their works posed by curious onlookers.

Though from commercial point of view there was not much to be said, it gave an opportunity to artists, young and old, to bring their studios out in the open air and display their art works that would make even the common visitors take curiosity for each work while moving from display of one artist to the other.

There were art pieces ranging from Rs 20 to Rs 6,000-8,000. Sketches were naturally at the low end of the price range, but paintings with artistic colour combinations were on the higher range, but most of them delightfully charming for their colours and talented work.

An original sketch of 'Darpana Sundari' or lady with a mirror, a famous bracket figures adorning the outer wall of the popular 11th century Chennakeshava temple at Belur in Hassan district, was quoted at Rs 3,000, while a photocopy of the same was available for just Rs 30. A 'Ganjifa' card that was made by popular by Mysore Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar III by his innovative card games, ranged from Rs 300 to Rs 500. A set of 10 incarnations of Vishnu, 'Dashavatra', was quoted at Rs 3,000 by an artist.

A couple of artists were busy either wooing onlookers to pose for a sketch for a nominal sum while some others were busy drawing life-like sketches of those who wanted a sketch of their's and were posing seated on a chair in front of the artist on the otherwise busy road, but banned for vehicle entry today.

Besides sketches, on display were water colour and oil paintings of a variety, including those of Mysore and other styles of South India. The reproductions of Raja Ravi Varma, the famous painter of Kerala, who has done a host of paintings now displayed in the Palace and the Jaganmohan Palace Art Gallery, were also available reproduced on canvass. To attract women, artistic trinkets were also on display and sale.

The response was encouraging and gave an encouraing exposure to artists to display their artistic talen.Art lovers, young and old, took a leisurely look at the variety of display. The street art display was part of the 20 and odd Dasara programmes now in progress in Mysore.