Art Meets Poetry (or Micropoetry!) in ‘The Portrait of a Verse’

Art Meets Poetry (or Micropoetry!) in ‘The Portrait of a Verse’

Writer and poet Preeta Chandran has teamed up with artist Pankaj Rohilkhandvi to bring out a collection of micropoetry and sketches/paintings inspired by the beauty and power of nature, the various aspects of human emotions, and the numerous facets of life.

Compiled into a book, the ‘The Portrait of a Verse’ is being launched on December 25, at The India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, by Satyajeet Rajan, Director General, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and will be attended by several notable artists and writers.
The book launch will be followed by a painting exhibition showcasing the works of artist and painter Pankaj Rohilkhandvi. The exhibition will display a combination of works by young school students and the artist himself.

Noted author Keki N Daruwalla, who also wrote the ‘Foreword’ for the book, said that he has always been fascinated by jugalbandi (fusion) of different art forms, be they music, literature or any other forms of art, and that the micropoetry and the paintings complemented each other in the book.
This is the second book by the poet-painter duo. Their first book, ‘The Painted Verse’, was a collection of poetry and painting. When asked what prompted her to move from poetry to micropoetry, Preeta said, “I still write poetry; I haven’t given up doing that. But I had always found micropoetry very fascinating. It is so powerful; just a few lines conveying the deepest of emotions, depicting life. I never thought though that I could myself write something so short and yet so impactful. Then, around two years back, I participated in the Hindustan Times Brunch Haiku Contest and some of my micro poems became winning entries. Then it became almost an addiction; I started penning down my thoughts in short verses almost every day.”

The paintings in the book are also a deviation from the style in the previous book. This is what the artist Pankaj had to say about it, “After realistic paintings, I moved to a style that I call fused-unfused. It is realistic, yet has a touch of the abstract, but the soul of the artwork is lifelike.”

The entire event is part of a 3-day programme, Expressions ’17, organised by NGO Empowerment and Academy of Art and Craft, New Delhi, and conceptualised and curated by artist Kumar Vikas Saxena.

Art Meets Poetry at The 41st International Kolkata Book Fair, KLF2017

The 41^st International Kolkata Book Fair (IKBF), was inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

This year’s book fair, with a special focus on Costa Rica, is being held at Milan Mela, Kolkata, from 25 January, 2017 to 05 February, 2017.

The event is organised by the Publishers and Booksellers Guild and Costa Rican writer Roxana, who initiated the fair by hitting the ceremonial hammer 41 times, said the fair gave wonderful ways of interaction between the two countries.

With an average record footfall of 2.5 million year on year, it is the largest attended book fair in the world.

Eminent authors, poets, and other creative personalities from the country grace the Inauguration ceremony of the International Kolkata Book Fair.

Kerala-born, Delhi-based writer and poet Preeta Chandran and Bareilly-born, Delhi-based artist and painter Pankaj Kumar Saxena, were invited to this prestigious festival this year, to showcase their book, ‘The Painted Verse’, and talk about fusion of art and poetry. In their session on 01 February, 2017 at ‘The Media Corner’, they spoke about ‘Fusion’, its evolution and history, and what they are doing in this field. They also showcased their first work in this field, ‘The Painted Verse’, a unique amalgamation of poetry and painting, which has found a place in the India Book of Records.

 

The event was inaugurated by Shri Jayanta Bagchi from the organizing committee of the KBF. Eminent personalities like Prof. Soma Banerjee (Head – Department of English and Director – Centre for Latin American Studies, Rabindra Bharati University), Shri Pranab Ghosh (Journalist and blogger) graced the event. Prof. Ratan Bhattacharjee spoke about the work of the author and the artist and shared insights on the evolution of fusion. Shri Piyush Bagchi (Secretary – Neelanjana Silpa Sahitya Sanskriti) rendered a Bangla translation of one of Preeta’s poems.

The event was unique in its format of fusion of two art forms and generated a lot of interactive discussions between authors, academia, and media.

From the HaikuWALL India Project

This beautiful composition has been taken from Kala Ramesh’s HaikuWALL India Project. Wall graffiti by Poornima Sukumar. Haiku by Kala Ramesh.

Like the kite (Fusion Painting and Poetry)

Like the Kite-Fusion Painting and Poetry (Pankaj Kumar Saxena, Preeta Chandran and Leelooart Marie Lauzon)

Like the Kite

Like the Kite,
My heart soars,
Into the skies,
Wandering,
Meandering,
Surging on,
With a fiery spirit,
Unabashed joy,
Freedom of flight,
Adventure,
Romance with the breeze,
Laughter with the birds,
Cruise with the clouds;

Strings tug hard,
The heart knows,
It can’t break free,
And fly away,
But like the Kite,
It dances with the wind,
And celebrates the moment.

– Preeta Chandran

Visual Poetry

Visual poetry is poetry with the characteristics of intermedia in which visual elements and non-representational language play a dominant role. Abstract patterns and elements of typography are widely used to create visual poetry. A variant is also picture poems, in which letters and words of the poem are visually arranged to form a concrete picture.

Here is a Wikipedia link to Visual Poetry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_poetry

While Visual Poetry of this kind is relatively modern, dating around the 1950s, varying forms of visual poetry date back to ancient cultures, such as Persia and Greece, in the form of Altar poetry. They didn’t appear again in the Western world until the 16th century, when English, French, and German Renaissance poets started writing and printing their poems to specific shapes and patterns. Some examples can be found at: http://www.webexhibits.org/poetry/explore_21_visual_examples.html

 

 

La fusion- Poetry Meets Painting

La fusion
The Ultimate Fusion – Poetry Meets Painting
Poet: Preeta Chandran Artist: Pankaj Kumar Saxena
All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi, INDIA

Poet: Preeta Chandran Artist: Pankaj Kumar Saxena

International Book on Painting and Poetry@Galerie mp tresart

Fusion Painting and Poetry (Pankaj Kumar Saxena, Preeta Chandran and Leelooart Marie Lauzon)

 

Fused-Unfused: A Solo Exhibition of Paintings by Atist Pankaj Rohilkhandvi in New Delhi INDIA

October 14, 2016: A week-long exhibition of acrylic paintings titled ‘Fused-Unfused’, by painter and artist Mr. Pankaj Rohilkhandvi (Saxena), held at the prestigious AIFACS (All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society) in New Delhi.

The exhibition displayed 30 paintings by the artist, in his trademark style ‘fused-unfused’. This style is a unique concept. The terminology has been coined by the artist to depict our lives today, which is a fusion of traditional values and modern opportunities. Our lives today mirror a merger of these, and at the same time, there is a point of divergence. His art style, therefore, also incorporates elements of the traditional, the contemporary, and the modern, and the vibrant colours he uses make his work stand out.

The exhibition was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Hon’ble Minister of State for Finance, Govt. of India. Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar appreciated the work of the artist and lauded it as a great contribution to art and culture. He also spoke about the role of art and literature in helping build a better world.

Eminent poet and writer and Joint Secretary, UPSC, Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra and noted writer and poet and Joint Secretary, Rajya Sabha, Shri Ramakanta Das, were the guests of honour.

The inaugural day was marked by the presence of prominent people from the art fraternity, such as Dr. Mahendra Kumar (prominent artist, also known as the Picasso of Bareilly and winner of President’s Award in the field of Painting), Kumar Vikas (President of NGO , Empowerment and noted painter and artist). An inaugural song was sung by bi-lingual Kerala-born singer, Mr. Vinod Kumar Pillai.

Some of the paintings were accompanied by poems by writer and poet Ms. Preeta Chandran.

Mr. Pankaj Rohilkhandvi’s work has been displayed in galleries around the world, including the Emmaus gallery in Italy, Galerie MP Tresart in Canada, Lokayakta gallery and The India Habitat Center in Delhi, and the Uttar Pradesh Kala Academy, to name a few. He has also done book covers for several authors. He is the artist and co-author of the book, ‘The Painted Verse’, with writer and poet Ms. Preeta Chandran. The book was also displayed at the exhibition.

The week long exhibition has generated a lot of footfall and media coverage. It was indeed a great experience for art lovers.