A Simple Life if it were: Watercolours by Raghunath Sahoo

In our attempt at bringing the popular medium of
watercolour which is an, universal and enduring
medium back to the centre of our many ongoing
presentations, Kalakriti Art Gallery brings
you ‘A Simple Life, if it were: Watercolours by
Raghunath Sahoo’.

A Simple Life, if it were: Watercolours by
Raghunath Sahoo

Life is difficult, sometimes way too difficult. Compounded by the pressures
of an urban living, we crave for a simple life. Often art is supposed to
be making a statement, a manifesto of all that must be condemned or
done away with; in other words a mirror to all that is wrong with us. But
sometimes it is also necessary to let art be just about finding tiny rivulets
of happiness that may or may not be so dark, unhappy or bleak; a hope.
Deftly captured in the works of Raghunath Sahoo, one of the leading
watercolourists of our times, we see unbelievable tranquility, calm and
peace. It is unbelievable for those of us who go to great lengths looking
for happiness and hope, never realizing that one must always look within.
Such a blissful existence is real as we see in Sahoo’s work who beautifully
mimes the objects as they exist in his still-life paintings, village scenes,
cityscapes, and people going on about in their everyday lives.It is the artist’s
innate skill who manages to depict these figures with such naturalism
without ever loosing their charm or simplicity.
A blooming lotus, a tiny plant creeping from the cracks of a wall, or
a dusty unused hearth, people thronging a temple, a busy city street, a
village barber tending to his client, a kid at play; all of this is replete
with remarkable draughtsmanship and a near-perfect rendition. The
exhibition has tried to encapsulate each and every theme that Sahoo has
ever worked with; therefore there has been a small inclusion of Sahoo’s
rare contemporary figurative works. A scintillating play of light and shade,
Sahoo’s every composition is a visual delight that breathes with life. In
these watercolours we see the pictorial and the photographic merge to
create an expressive visual splendour that has always played a big part in
Raghunath Sahoo’s oeuvre.

Title : Water Beauty
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: New Born
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 14 x 22 inches

Title: Composition - I
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Composition - II
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 14 x 22 inches

Title : Untitled
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 14 x 14 inches

Title : Old Jacket
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title : Window side
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title : Lockdown
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 12 x 14 inches

Title: Still Life
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Road side tea
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Hidden Beauty - I
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Hidden Beauty - II
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Temple - I
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 12 x 14 inches

Title: Temple - II
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 12 x 14 inches

Title: Picnic
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 12 x 14 inches

Title: Cityscape - I
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 12 x 14 inches

Title: Cityscape - II
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 12 x 14 inches

Title: Cityscape - III
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 12 x 14 inches

Title: Out Side
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 12 x 14 inches

Title : Jogi
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Waiting - I
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Waiting - II
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Tribal Women
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Craftswoman
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Childhood - I
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Childhood - II
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Childhood - III
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Childhood - IV
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Village Barber
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Village Girl
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Untitled
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Odissi Dancer
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Pottery Maker
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Old Woman
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Good Morning
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Destroy
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 22 x 28 inches

Title: Lost of Connection - I
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 12 x 14 inches

Title: Lost of Connection - II
Medium : Watercolor on paper
Size : 12 x 14 inches

Artist Raghunath Sahoo, a remarkable watercolourist from the city of
Bhubaneswar, is known for capturing millions of human emotions on his
silent canvases which speak a thousand words without making noise. It has
been a long journey for the artists who is now reaping the fruits of his labour.
A discerning artist who skillfully balances realistic paintings and paintings
that are inspired by reality, Sahoo states his works are based on real life. His
inclination towards painting real life scenes including children, old people,
and still life is his way of appreciating the simple pleasures of life in this
insanely complicated world. Mostly working with watercolours and acrylic,
the artist also captures objects and spaces which are left vaccant and unused
like store room junk, unused debris. A natural at painting realistic imagery,
Sahoo is a master when it comes to light and shade. A major highlight of his
compositions is the almost life-like quality without being photo-realistic or
imitative.
Raghunath Sahoo has completed his studies from BK College of Art and Crafts,
Bhubaneswar, Odisha, in 1995. Since then, he has exhibited in several solo
and group shows in Orissa Modern Art Gallery (Bhubaneswar), Birla House
(Kolkata), Bharat Bhawan (Bhopal) among many others. He has participated
in many camps in India and abroad, and is a recipient of awards like Dr.M.D
Tali memorial Award, Nature & wildlife conservation Awards, National Youth
Festival Awards (Gold medal), Chinta o chetana national awards, International
awards for original art, and International awards for international art contest.

PAST EXHIBITIONS

2008: Bharat Bhawan, Bhopal
2010: Rabindra bhavan, Kolkata
2011: Sima Art Gallery, Kolkata
2011: Samanvai Art Gallery, Jaipur
2012: Orissa Morden Art Gallery, Bhubaneswar
Many more art workshop and camp national and
international

Awards
Chinta O Chetana National Award, 2010
State Award, 2014
Abu Rawash International Award 2018

468, Road No.10, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad - 500034, Telangana. Tel: 040 66564466
Contact : 9030868686, 7997991083 | [email protected] | www.kalakritiartgallery.com