Visual treat for art lovers

Ranchi: The city's art lovers were in for a visual treat at the painting and photography exhibition organized by the state department of culture at the Khadi mela in Morhabadi.
Although the exhibition has been going on for close to a week now, residents were enamoured by the over 112 paintings by various painters from Jharkhand, along with 20 photographs and 14 sculptures by 61 artistes across the state.
Stalwarts like Bishu Nandi, Haren Thakur, Praveen Karmakar and Dilip Kumar Toppo, among others displayed their art for the viewing public.
"We had organized an exhibition last year as well. Going by the positive response we received, we decided to open it to other artists from across the state. The response has been encouraging so far and we have received a number of queries from people interested buying artwork. Government officials who visited the stall have also expressed interest in procuring a few pieces," said Anil Kumar Singh, department director.
The department had procured 22 paintings and sculptures from the exhibition last year, which were distributed to various departments and agencies. 'Beyond Salvation', an acrylic painting by noted painter Kartik Kumar Prasad from Dhanbad was a hit.
"The paintings have been priced between Rs 2,500 and Rs 2 lakh to cater to diverse clientele. We have received multiple queries from visitors interested in procuring the art on display," said Dinesh Singh, convener of the stall.