Pencil sketches, oil paintings bring people alive on canvas

Tribune News Service

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Ludhiana, December 9

It is a photographic exhibition as artworks looked as good as photographs. Works of city-based artist Gopi Verma have been exhibited at the exhibition, which began at MS Randhwa Art Gallery at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), here yesterday.

As many as 35 oil painting and pencil artworks, which are mostly portraits, have been put on display. Some other art works include realistic paintings and sketches of people, animals, mall.

Speaking about his work Gopi Verma said, “Penchant for realistic works arose because of my love to get as close to reality as one can. I know that photography has replaced paintings to some extent, but even today if a photograph and realistic painting are placed side by side then painting will still be preferred.”

“An artist can add that extra dimension with the real expression of a person instead of a posed one, besides expressing the mood with the right use of colour,” he added.

Verma has also made paintings of animals, several pencil sketches, including portraits of celebrities like Lata Mangeshkar. Some of his sketches are of skulls. Speaking about them, he said, “These skull drawings are a constant reminder of the ultimate, what happens to a person, and accentuate the transience of life after all.”

Verma got inspired to adopt art as passion and profession from paintings by his maternal uncle Vimal Verma. “I’ve had many group exhibitions. This is my first solo exhibition,” he said.