Pastoral Allure

(1984 to 2002)

Travelling to the countryside has always been one of Rekha’s favourite pastimes. Perhaps as a blessing, her Ph.D. thesis on "Folk Art of Udapiur Region" saw her frequenting villages and small towns in rural Rajasthan to study and document age-old art practices and customs. The experience left a beautiful impression and inspired her to do a series of paintings in Oil Pastels, a medium she felt best represented the subtle hues, flavour and textures of the countryside. Rekha is fascinated by the opaqueness and sharpness of pastels, that not only enliven the surface but also the subject. She played around with the medium in an experimental and carefree manner, sometimes layering colours, mixing turpentine oil and scratching the surface.

Composition of rural women shielded by umbrellas, sitting on the ground, selling fodder for cattle — Pastoral Allure 01; Oil Pastels on Paper; 9"x11"; 1984 (Sold)

Landscape of a village hamlet between fields and ponds, with dark rain clouds hovering above — Pastoral Allure 02; Oil Pastels on Paper; 9"x11"; 1994 (Sold)

Pale yellow natural environment of Rajasthan and a colourful rural home with stained glass windows — Pastoral Allure 03; Oil Pastels on Paper; 9"x11"; 1994 (Sold)

A cluster of 'Sati' cenotaphs from Udaipur region, surrounded by red colour symbolising fire — Pastoral Allure 04; Oil Pastels on Paper; 8"x9.5"; 1994

Colourful, abstract composition of a deep forest with eyes on one side, as if someone is watching — Pastoral Allure 05; Oil Pastels on Paper; 15"x8.5"; 1994

Landscape of 'Kaali Aandhi' or a desert sand storm with the sky black and the surroundings red — Pastoral Allure 06; Oil Pastels on Paper; 15"x9"; 1994

Landscape of curvy green hills of Rajasthan in the monsoon season and lush countryside below — Pastoral Allure 07; Oil Pastels on Paper; 10"x8.5"; 1994

Rural women in dark complexion wearing colourful clothes, amidst fields and a wall with pictographs — Pastoral Allure 08; Oil Pastels on Paper; 15"x10"; 1994

Strong, colourful composition showing women carved in stone — Pastoral Allure 09; Oil Pastels on Paper; 11"x15"; 1998 (Sold)

Abstract composition in saffron, orange and yellow, with contours depicting huts, fields and doors — Pastoral Allure 10; Oil Pastels on Paper; 10"x7"; 1994 (Sold)

Textured composition in saffron, orange and yellow, with contours depicting huts, fields and doors — Pastoral Allure 11; Oil Pastels on Paper; 10"x7"; 2001 (Sold)

Composition in saffron, orange and yellow colours, with contours depicting huts, fields and doors — Pastoral Allure 12; Oil Pastels on Paper; 10"x7"; 2001 (Sold)

Composition of contours depicting huts, fields and doors, in saffron, orange and yellow colours — Pastoral Allure 13; Oil Pastels on Paper; 10"x7"; 2001 (Sold)

Composition in earth and brown colours, of a Black Drongo perched on rural huts (like a watchman) — Pastoral Allure 14; Oil Pastels on Paper; 10"x7"; 2001 (Sold)

Abstract composition of a blue Peacock in front of pale yellow and brown coloured rural dwellings — Pastoral Allure 15; Oil Pastels on Paper; 10"x7"; 2001 (Sold)

Composition in earth and brown colours, of a Parakeet on rural dwellings and a hand mark on the wall — Pastoral Allure 16; Oil Pastels on Paper; 10"x7"; 2001 (Sold)

Composition in earth, Indian red and green colors, of a horse bracket on a door and some pictographs — Pastoral Allure 17; Oil Pastels on Paper; 10"x7"; 2001 (Sold)

Colourful portrait of a lady sitting on floor, engrossed in thought with one hand holding her head — Pastoral Allure 18; Oil Pastels on Paper; 22"x28"; 2002 (Sold)

A dancing Peacock in yellow ochre, Indian red and blue, with Rajasthani pictographs on its feathers — Pastoral Allure 19; Oil Pastels on Paper; 17"x11"; 2002 (Sold)

Indian Peafowl dancing amidst rural huts decorated with 'Mandanas' or traditional pictographs — Pastoral Allure 20; Oil Pastels on Paper; 17"x11"; 2002 (Sold)

A Peacock dancing in side view with two Peahens in the foregound, over a backdrop of dark blue hills — Pastoral Allure 21; Oil Pastels on Paper; 11"x17"; 2002 (Sold)