Exhibition displays five decades of art by Sheila Thadani

A bronze statue of a mother feeding her child, a wall plaque of a woman in fine jewellery, are among the several art works on display at an ongoing exhibition at the Ethiopian Cultural Center here.
Titled "An artist's journey over five decades: 1964-2014" the exhibition has on display artworks by veteran artist Sheila Thadani.
The artist has worked in several mediums including ceramic, enamel, batik, glass, fiberglass and wood, the largest body being in oil paintings and bronze sculptures.
Her collection is conspicuously dominated by mother and child figures with the mother's form in varied postures, and the child's stance both underscoring a cohesive and integrated approach.

"I love children, and I lost two of my children in my seventh month of pregnancy," she says, justifying the recurring theme in her works of art.
Thadani began her career in art with water colours while she was a student at JJ School of Art, after which she pursued her interest in oil paintings, which largely depict landscapes and figurative work inspired from India.

"The Indian landscape and people have always been an inspiration and their influence can be seen in my work. I feel India is an artist's paradise," the artist says. The artist held her first solo exhibition of painting in 1964. And has had several exhibitions ever since of paintings and sculptures.

While several works of art from her previous collections are also on display, the exhibition attempts to focus on her more recent works which include enamel paintings.
Largely used in Rajasthani jewellery, enamel imparts a lustre to the art works, often resembling that of glass paintings, only less transparent.
"The enamel work can be done only on metals like gold, silver or copper. I have used copper as the base of my paintings, for gold and silver are extremely expensive," Thadani says.
The exhibition which was unveiled on February 19 is scheduled to continue till March 15.