Everyday inspirations

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: One can find inspiration everywhere and anywhere, but you must have power to feel that. Riti Maharjan has found inspiration for her artworks in the community where she lives. Her solo art exhibition ‘What I Perceive’ inspired by traditional culture and lifestyle that Maharjan perceived in her day-to-day life in her community is on display from June 9 at Newa Chen Art Gallery, Patan.

Ethnic Newari lifestyle and culture has become a source of creativity for Maharjan and her artworks reflect the same.

In one of the paintings, a middle-aged woman is taking a bath in an open area. Next to her, one can see many water vessels. Meanwhile the architectural beauty of the traditional houses all around her is depicted in a beautiful way. This painting reflects real lifestyle of most of the people living in the inner parts of Kathmandu Valley. Colours like brown and orange are dominant in this work.

One can see lots of people in colourful dresses with offerings standing in queue to worship the God. The chariot is kept in a square (chowk) and it is surrounded by walls. People of all age groups — from children to elders enjoying the festival and looking at the crowd and idol enthusiastically depicts the true picture of Valley when in a festive mood.

The real life has been portrayed naturally in Maharjan’s painting using watercolour in paper. The facial expressions in human representations and their movements have given life to her collections as these works show love for each other, respect for religion and a feeling of brotherhood, among others.

Also, Maharjan has captured the things that a person does in his/her daily life like fetching water, bathing, playing, resting, visiting the temple, festive mood and more.

About the themes of her paintings Maharjan stated, “I have used imaginary themes in my works which I acquired as inspiration from the area where I live. I have created my work out of things I have always seen and heard in my community.”

The exhibition is on till June 23. —