Debut exhibition conjoins nature with female forms

New Delhi, June 1 (IANS) Women embody nature's four elements and they can blossom even in adversity is the powerful message of the debut exhibition of Sneha Agarwal, a chartered accountant by day and a passionate artist by night.

Lining the walls of India Habitat Centre (IHC) here, is her figurative painting series that connect two life-giving forces: women and nature.

Agarwal, 32, was initiated into painting when she was still in school. In fact, she even painted a portrait of then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000, for which she received an appreciation letter from the Prime Minister's Office, a cause for much celebration for a 13-year-old.

Art, however, took a backseat during higher education.

Despite pursuing a rigourous education and now full-time work with a multi-national company, the Ranchi-born artist "found time outside of working hours and on weekends, due to the urge to express" herself, she told IANS here.

A feminist, Agarwal "wants women to feel empowered and realise their strength", she said while pointing to her paintings' feminine figures.

The show "Elements That Define A Woman's Soul" depicts female forms in vivid colours of nature, surrounded by ocean waves, earthy colours, flowers, birds and more natural elements.

How do images of women and nature come to her?

"While I'm driving to my office, I visualise the thoughts in my mind. I have my friends who model for me, it's not a spontaneous process. Creativity takes time," she explained.

She also mentioned a healthy work-life balance the Delhi-based artist likes to maintain, that eventually fuels her creativity.

Speaking about a triptych painting of a woman nestled in a lotus flower, Agarwal said: "A lotus emerges out of a dirty pond. I want women to realise that even if they're emerging from zero, still they can emerge and blossom like a lotus."

The exhibition concludes Sunday.