ASHOK GOVIND DHARMADHIKARI
Glimpses of Life
Ashok Dharmadhikari, a painter from Kolhapur having his first solo show of his paintings at the Jehangir art gallery, Fort, Mumbai. The Kolhapur painters are generally known for skillful realistic landscapes and portraits. Ashok, however, shows a different approach in his paintings. His paintings show stylized figures and forms, rendered with flat colors giving them the two-dimensional outlook. His genre paintings depict figures of men and women busy in their daily work. They are mostly related to village life i.e. the subjects like local market, grain shop, the crowd gathered to have Darshan of the God, etc. The figures and forms are simplified rendered with flat tones, sober color schemes avoiding unnecessary details. The landscapes too with trees and flowery plants, create pleasant, and picturesque surroundings. Thus the artist has expressed the nostalgic feeling about the virgin beauty of nature, undisturbed with the modern way of life and longing for the simplicity of the rural life. Ashok has used watercolor and oil colors for his paintings. His color application in both the types has given a wonderful textural surface which enhances the quality of the paintings.
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