Meet Pranav Verma, Class XI science student from Kensri School in Bengaluru, who recently exhibited his best paintings at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath and it all sold out like hotcakes. People were awestruck to see such a young boy capture the beautiful temple architectures and the sceneries flawlessly in his paintings.
Pranav, who exhibited 25 of his best works this time said, "Since I travel a lot, I capture photographs of sceneries and temples. When I return home, I observe those pictures and give them life in paintings. Recently, I visited the Bhoga Nandeeshwara Temple in the outskirts of Bengaluru. From painting the iconic temple structure to the huge Kalyani, everything stands out in my painting. Apart from this, I have painted the beautiful ghats of Varanasi, sceneries in Uttarkhand, the Sanchi Stupa, the tall and strong stone building in the Indian Institute of Science which has several native tree species around it, stone chariot at Hampi and many such paintings."
Pranav developed an interest in art when he was only three years old. Initially, he used acrylic colours, crayons and colour pencils as a medium. But as he explored more, his interest was drawn to using watercolours. Pranav never attended professional training classes to learn painting. "A senior artist from Chitrakala Parishath told me the types of brushes one has to use while painting with watercolours. And a visual arts teacher at my school guides me now and then," said Pranav who makes at least two paintings every week.
When we asked Pranav about his inspiration, he said, "I was always inspired by the artworks created by Mario Miranda, BG Sharma, Walter Foster, Jamini Roy, Raja Ravi Verma, Milind Mulick and many other artists. In fact, I have recreated some of the best paintings of Raja Ravi Verma and caricatures of Mario Miranda and Van Gogh. In the case of Raja Ravi Verma's paintings, I have recreated the painting of a Maharashtrian lady holding fruits, a lady holding sherbet. Van Gogh's Sunflowers and The Starry Night, Mario Miranda's Dinner A La Cart, Crossing the Zuari, town bus during rush hours are some of the paintings I recreated." Apart from this, Pranav also has a series of paintings that tell the stories of Lord Krishna and his childhood adventures. His sketches also stand out.
