Veteran artist Hari Prasad Sharma makes history come alive through paintings

A painting, showing Taleju Bhawani, playing a dice game with the then King Jaya Prakash Malla kept on display at the Nepal Art Council, Babarmahal. A 20-day painting exhibition of veteran artist Hari Prasad Sharma was showcased at the Council from September 6, 2019.

An art exhibition showcasing the collection of paintings of veteran artist, Hari Prasad Sharma, was organized at the Nepal Art Council, Babarmahal, on September 6, 2019.

The 20-day exhibition was organized with the theme ‘Nepal through the ages: Reviving ancient and medieval culture and architecture’.Nepal Heritage Society, Himal Association, and Social Science Baha had organized the art exhibition.

One could easily see the influence of Newari culture in Sharma’s paintings. The art exhibition showed the culture, tradition, and heritage of our country, especially the Kathmandu Valley.

From the heritage of Kathmandu Valley to daily lives during ancient and medieval age, Newari culture, wars and even folktales, the exhibition showcases the meticulous artwork of the veteran artist.

One of the paintings showed Goddess Taleju Bhawani playing the dice game with the then King Jaya Prakash Malla whereas another painting showed the scenery where Bhrukti was married to the Chinese emperor, Songtsen Gampo.

Similarly, a painting showed Ngagini (the ones who cut nails) doing pedicure on a lady from the Newar community. Ngagini used to visit door-to-door to cut and trim the nails of women in the ancient Newari community. They also acted as marriage maker.

Likewise, the clean Bagmati River surrounded by greenery was another painting, which people of this generation can only imagine of.

“This is a collection of paintings made by him (Sharma) some 25 years ago. All these paintings are based on imagination. He basically imagines all the situations that might have happened, all the sceneries and painted them, which can be clearly seen in these paintings,” said Bishnu Prasad Sharma, son of the veteran artist

A total of 45 paintings were on display in the event with the description hanged on the side of the artworks. Likewise, a small five-minute documentary of the paintings was also shown at the event.

Various artworks of the 82-year-old veteran artist have been showcased till date, of which, ‘Kathmandu Valley Down the Ages’ was later published into a book.