Finding light in darkness

FROM ISSUE # 144 (December 2007) | IN THIS ISSUE
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To mark the exact words of two prominent Indian artists Sri Milan Das and Sri Subrata Chowdhury, about our very own Milan Rai's creations are "Dynamic, very much in motion and with beautiful strokes." His work 'Light' exhibited in the 8th Eastern Region Art Exhibition in Patna, India is a real testimony to the words. Organised by Camlinart India, Rai's masterpiece bagged the first prize trophy and a cash amount of Rs. 40,000 last month.

Even though Rai is a self taught artist, he competed in the professional category with his semi-abstract work and managed to walk away with a lot of appreciation for it.

Ironic as it may sound but his Light portrayed through the medium of oil on canvas has dark and gloomy hues. Yet the messages he has tried to portray using these colours speak significantly of the beauty of light. Even with subtle strokes, he expresses significant and meaningful images. The theme focuses on a lady who is emerging from an absolutely black background. On questioning why he used such an irony to show the importance of light he says, 'Absence of light is darkness and what better color to use other than jet black to express it.'

In the exhibition Rai competed with the likes of Erina Tamrakar and Asha Dongol, both prominent artists of Nepal. There were a total of five entries from Nepal and about 7,000 from the eastern region of India alone. Slightly apprehensive about the number of participants, he was pleasantly surprised when he won. Now Rai will be competing with 16 winners from other regions of India for an all expenses paid trip to Europe. The exhibition in Patna was held from 23-30 November.