Himajaa Indukuri By Express News Service HYDERABAD : At a first glance, Pradosh Swain’s paintings on display at Alankritha Art Gallery as part of the exhibition titled ‘Zodiac Zing’ are surreal and striking. One wonders what is the complex story the artist is trying to tell through this. But as the astrologer cum artist explains the inspiration and thought behind each of his paintings, the beauty in the complexity slowly opens up to the viewer. Pradosh’s first solo art exhibition looks promising. "I quit my job in Odisha and moved to New Delhi to pursue my passion of art and the cosmos. I wanted to portray nature and its wonders through my paintings. But I wanted to infuse a new style of art to the audience," he shares. After years of painting he decided to embed social messages in his paintings depicting the various zodiac signs, the gemstones related to them and their effects on people. "After intensive research in the field of astrology and how gemstones affect human beings, I put this knowledge into my paintings. So when a viewer walks in to find his zodiac sign, the colours soothe his or her mind because it is made keeping in mind the behaviour and thinking of people born under the particular zodiac sign," says the artist as he shows us his works. But there is much more in the painting than what meets the eye. "The zodiac sign of Libra stands for the ideals of equality. So I have used this sign to send out the social message of following equality. If one observes closely, the social messages in the paintings are closely related to the ideals that rule the respective zodiac," he shares. The surrealistic art works also give an insight into Pradosh’s deep-rooted beliefs and inspiration derived from nature. "Nature is the master force that is only imitated by artists. Everyone reciprocates from nature. I have been a landscape artist for a long time," says the artist. Amidst new and constantly emerging contemporary art, Pradosh’s take on cosmology and its deep connection with human life gives a new experience to art lovers. The exhibition is on till the January 20 and is worth visiting.

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