Politician-painter Mamata Banerjee’s new series of works

Here is a politician who has hit upon an artistic intent to raise funds. Trinamool Congress head Mamata Banerjee canvases are up for grabs.

A large majority of her new series of works – priced in the range of Rs 2 lakh – have found many willing buyers, raising her status as an artist. ‘Banglar ma’, which depicts the mother figure, is the costliest work at Rs 12 lakh. Introducing her, artist Shuvaprasanna asserted that never before had a politician as tied up as Mamata Banerjee came up with such a large body of work. The idea is to raise funds for her party’s poll campaign.

The exhibition, entitled ‘25 Hours A Day’, takes place at Gallerie 88, Kolkata. The 98 paintings on view are her ode to joy. They not once show the tense political situation in the state. Instead of form, not perhaps her forte, she here opts o expresses herself through an exuberant palette. ‘Mamataa’ has spread a riot of colors to create these paintings. These are hyperactive Catherine wheels in yellows, pinks, blues and greens that she has painted.

Fields full of kaash phul or kans grass come alive on the canvases. In some paintings, pearly greys are effortlessly contrasted with purples and greens. Trees in vivid viridian sprout, umbrella fashion. She makes her mark as a natural, uninhibited painter with assured brushstrokes. She has passion and dreams that have been depicted in her creations.

Though she is not formally trained, the politician-painter has a natural instinct and flair for art. Her usage of color points to her aesthetic sensibility. There is an unmistakable sense of harmony in her new paintings. In an earlier exhibit, a dominant motif was the goddess Kali. This time the female form has turned softer and tender.

As if to distinguish her political persona from her creative self, the firebrand West Bengal politician signs her paintings as ‘Mamataa’ with an extra ‘a’. She has reasoned: “Just like my works, my signature also is guided by instinct.”