Art parallels Nature

Vani Devi’s paintings reflect her engagement with the visual language of art

They encourage, motivate, inspire and uplift. The object of art is not to reproduce reality but to create a reality of the same intensity. Surabhi Vani Devi does just that. She brings nature closer home through her works. Her paintings stand out for sheer range, symmetry, colour combination and variety.

The special exhibition of Vani Devi's paintings at the Salar Jung Museum is a treat to the eyes. There are close to 70 paintings on display and each one of them leaves viewers awe-struck. Most of the paintings are titled 'Sare Jahan Se Accha' and seek to capture the landscape in different shades. The medium employed is acrylic on canvass.Her preferred medium is water colour and genre landscapes. One can find quite a few frames depicting landscapes in captivating shades.

One of her paintings displayed at the State Art Gallery on the occasion of the bio-diversity conference was acquired by a foreign delegate, it is said.

The lithograph paintings depicting flora and fauna and mother earth are also something to look at. "For me it has always been an interesting engagement with visual language of art", says Vani Devi. She feels the search for higher human values, which is the essence of humanism, is intrinsic to artistic expression.

Daughter of the former Prime Minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao, she learnt art from such eminent teachers as Narender Rai Srivastav, Kondapalli Seshagiri Rao, Panduranga Parathe and Atma Ram. She has organised more than 15 solo exhibitions both within and outside the country under the title 'Sare Jahan Se Accha’.

The exhibition organised by the Gandhi Memorial Centre at Washington is the high point of her career. The Sri Venkateshwara College of Fine Arts founded by her in 1991 remains at the forefront for popularising art. Who is her greatest inspiration?. "My father of course", pat comes the reply. After marriage luckily she found a friend, philosopher and guide in her husband, Surabhi Dayakar Rao. "He stood by me in all my creative endeavours", says Vani Devi. Great art picks up where nature ends. The artist in her tries to do just that.


The exhibition is open to public till September 12 at the Western Block of Salar Jung Museum.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in The Hindu

Dated September 8,2015