An artwork is often created by an artist for their creative satisfaction. But, the joy of a creator doubles when the same art is sold to raise money for a noble cause. Thus, the participating artists at the annual show, Art for Concern, have been associated with this fundraising exhibition for about two decades now.
At the new edition of this art show, in Gurugram, there are about 75 paintings and sculptures, of more than 40 establishing and renowned Indian artists, on display. Priced between ₹25,000 and one lakh; the money raised from these artworks will support the social development activities in the space of education, health and community development.
The collection includes works of masters of today and tomorrow, such as Ram Kumar, KG Subramanyan, Rabin Mondal, Suhas Roy, Sunil Das, Lalu Prasad Shaw, Jogen Choudhary, Chameli Ramachandran, Sudip Roy and Shyamal Mukherjee.
The painting titled Affection, by Asit Patnaik, is a small format canvas depicting a close encounter between a man and a woman. “It’s a small painting that I have made; so that it’s affordable. Otherwise my compositions usually come in bigger format… This one is a semi-realistic figurative work with an abstract background that shows my style. I have been regularly giving my work to the organisers for the last five years because the response has been very good. I’m happy when my work is sold for a noble cause,” says Patnaik.
A similar sentiment is shared by artist Sanjay Bhattacharyya, whose two works will also be part of this show. “I do this kind of paintings for charity because normally we artists are concentrated on our work. The only option to do something for the society is through an NGO, and that’s why I decided to give my paintings for this exhibition. For this show, I have specially created a pair of two heads in which I explore the beauty of a matured woman’s face, which I find very interesting. These are stylised drawings, with lots of intricate line work in black, in which you can put any colour to get the expression. These works brings out the emotions of love and kindness,” says Bhattacharyya.
{{/usCountry}}A similar sentiment is shared by artist Sanjay Bhattacharyya, whose two works will also be part of this show. “I do this kind of paintings for charity because normally we artists are concentrated on our work. The only option to do something for the society is through an NGO, and that’s why I decided to give my paintings for this exhibition. For this show, I have specially created a pair of two heads in which I explore the beauty of a matured woman’s face, which I find very interesting. These are stylised drawings, with lots of intricate line work in black, in which you can put any colour to get the expression. These works brings out the emotions of love and kindness,” says Bhattacharyya.
{{/usCountry}}The organisers take pride in the authenticity of the works on display. “Because the artworks come directly from the artists or their families, they are 200 percent authentic. And the artists trust us because of the work we do for the underprivileged and needy,” says Anjana Khanna, deputy director, Secure Giving Events — which organises art shows across eight cities in India.
Recollecting an incident at one of the previous shows in Gurugram, Khanna says, “This one time we had organised a show and due to water logging on the road that leads to the venue, the car of one of the regular buyers broke down. So, this woman requested a courier boy — who was on a motocycle — to give her a lift, and rode as a pillion behind him to reach the show’s preview on time.”
The tales are aplenty, and one can only keep counting while admiring the canvases on display.
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