MATOLI

NAGUESH  RAO  SARDESSAI

Harshada Kerkar Sonak, artist and owner of ‘Harshada’s Art Gallery, Miramar, conceptualized and hosted an exhibition of paintings and drawings titled ‘Matoli’.

‘Matoli’ is a wooden canopy containing seasonal flowers, fruits, leaves, herbs, creepers etc. that is installed over the Idol of Lord Ganesh before the beginning of the Ganesh chaturthi Festivities that begin on the fourth day of the fifth month of the Hindu calendar ie. Bhadrapad.

Lush with locally available floral diversity, the ‘Matoli’ is a display of biological wealth of the region. The Ganesh festival is a symbolic celebration of nature and environment. In fact, Sanatan Dharma, that has assimilated pre Vedic customs and traditions, has various festivals that primarily offer an ode to the Mother Nature.   

Eleven artists from Goa exhibited their expression of the eco-friendly concept of ‘Matoli’ and added various individualistic facets to this seemingly local and pagan socio-religious concept.

Shridhar Kamat Bambolkar, famous for portraying the stunning beauty of Goa’s natural wealth through his realistic and semi-realistic paintings, exhibited the subtle meaning of ‘Matoli’ in his inimitable style. An amorphous Lord Ganesha emanating from the Coconut like form blurs the religious connotations and elevates the same to a universal level. Five oblivious bands of raw hues give structure to the paintings and reflect the five elements of nature that permeates the existence. His paintings please the lay viewer and satiate the aesthetic thirst of the connoisseurs.

Anagha N Deshpande pieced together nine small-sized canvas and painted various fruits. Neat and precise with apt compositions, Anagha’s work, besides being unique, is a visual treat.

Harshada put up two charcoal works with dash of subtle hues and stylized figuration. One of her work displayed interesting composition. Navso, the raw and untrained craftsman, carves Ganesha out of laterite stones. The forms take unique shape without losing the formal sanctity. The paintings displayed at the show resemble the European realistic genre and the still life managed out of the ‘Matoli’ items bring to life the festive atmosphere.

Nirupa Naik’s miniature Ganesh painting with painstaking details poured into it captivated the viewers’ attention. The multitude of hues and fine embellishments elevated the visual beauty and aesthetic appeal.

Noreen Carneiro’s highly stylized ‘Matoli’ with well delineated lines and structured forms washed with controlled hues entice the audience.

Aadhi Vishal, young and emerging artists from the lot, displayed his creative take on the subject in his inimitable style. Shamsunder Narvekar, Shailesh Dabolkar, Shammimullah Sayeed and this writer were the others who had their works on display.