Photocopies bring alive Western masters in Pune

This isn't an exhibition for the cognoscenti, for those who revel in abstruse terms like texture and strokes, form and maybe even gormlessness.

What Pune art lover Varunaraj Bhide hopes to do is put 300 coloured photocopies of Western masters will be displayed in an exhibition at Pune's Bal Gandharva Kalamandir between August 4 to 7. The aim of this exhibition is apparently to introduce the populace to forms of art they may not have been introduced to.

Bhide's pics comes from his collection of books, for the paintings themselves hang in museums across the world. The photocopies will have alongside detailed information about the painting and the artist.

Bhide has written a detailed article about his paintings in Sakal but lack of space prevented proper display of the pictures. Which is when the idea of the exhibition came up.

He had help from Vishwas Damle, the owner of DG Copiers, who brought the new technology of coloured copiers to Pune and laminator Upendra Chiplunkar.

The whole exhibition, despite showing so many famous paintings, cost Rs 100,000, a pittance compared to the astronomical rates spent on painting exhibitions elsewhere.

But, of course, the aficionados of art may turn up their noses. After all, they can't discuss texture and strokes in abstract whispers.