Lots of landscapes, faces of goddesses and scenes from Kalighat, her neighbourhood, is what you are likely to see on April 3, when Didi's canvases are put on display at a private gallery for an exhibition-cum-sale. The exhibition is the third part of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's first show titled 25 hours a day.
Banerjee's media include oil, acrylic and, for the first time, charcoal. The canvases will be displayed at Galerie 88 . "There will be lots of rural scapes, some human faces and some animal forms. She has celebrated nature in all its splendour through her paintings," says painter Suvaprasanna, adding that said Banerjee has been a prolific painter since 2007.
"A selection of these paintings will also be put up on the official Trinamool Congress website for the global audience to see and appreciate," said Abhishek Banerjee of the Trinamool's cyber team. Banerjee has donated the paintings to Jaago Bangla, the publishing front her party.
"The 100 canvases chosen for display didn't surprise me. Banerjee used to often visit our home to meet my wife Shipra and me since the Nandigram crisis. She was enthusiastic about experimenting with all kinds of forms, including oil, acrylic and charcoal. We encouraged her to keep doodling in our studio. She showed tremendous interest in painting," said the 64-year-old painter.
Banerjee has also been painting in her office at Rail Bhavan in Delhi. "She told us that Meira Kumar asked her to hold an exhibition of her paintings in Parliament," said Suvaprasanna.
{{/usCountry}}Banerjee has also been painting in her office at Rail Bhavan in Delhi. "She told us that Meira Kumar asked her to hold an exhibition of her paintings in Parliament," said Suvaprasanna.
{{/usCountry}}In a 2007 exhibition organised by Suvaprasanna at Indian Museum, 11 of Banerjee's 41 canvases were sold, each for R1 lakh. This time around, the demand for her canvases is expected to be higher and so would the prices they fetch.