By IANS,
Kolkata : A total of 100 paintings by Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee were displayed at an art gallery here Monday. The artworks will be auctioned to raise funds for the party’s campaign in the upcoming assembly polls in West Bengal.
Christened ’25 Hours A Day’, the collection will be showcased for three days at Galerie 88.
“This is for the third time paintings of Mamata Banerjee are being displayed for sale. Rs.3 lakh was raised by selling her paintings in 2005 and the entire amount was spent for charitable purposes,” Trinamool leader Derek O’Brien said.
In 2007, Rs.12 lakh was raised in a similar way. The amount was distributed to families in Nandigram. This time, the money will be spent for election purposes,” he added.
“These paintings were drawn in the last three years. Prices of the paintings are between Rs.50,000 and Rs.2 lakh,” O’Brien said.
The paintings had titles like ‘Jangalmahal’, ‘The Rhythm of Life’, ‘The Dawn’, ‘Unseen Dream’, ‘Faded Beauty’ and ‘Wind in Blue’.
“It is wonderful to see that despite her busy schedule, she is able to create these paintings. If you watch these, you will see that there is no pain. She is not a professional painter…it is beyond my belief that how she could draw such beautiful paintings,” renowned painter Subhaprasanna said.
Another eminent painter, Jogen Chowdhury, who was also present on the occasion, said: “Mamata Banerjee is a politician and leader of a big party. When personalities like her draw paintings, it attacks me. These paintings are created very spontaneously. I found a sign of growth in them.”