Black and white talk keeps the audience engrossed

NAGPUR: Discussing different connotations of the colors black and white were three luminaries from the spheres of theatre, photography and art, at an event organized by Chitnavis Centre on Saturday.

‘Kala Pandhara’, conceptualized by Dinkar Bedekar, had theatre person, psychologist and social worker Madhuri Bedekar, lensman Vivek Ranade and visual artist Chandrakant Channe speak about their perceptions of the two colours.

Taking the subject through the realms of astronomy, astro physics and astrology, Bedekar rested upon the fact that it was an individual’s thoughts and action which are responsible for creating the shades of black and white in the immediate environment.

“Black absorbs all colours while white is a combination of all colours. Black denotes authority and white purity. An aura of black around a person can make him defensive, abusive and secretive while that of white shows spirituality of mind, body and soul.”

Stretching the use of these two colours to clothes, Bedekar said, “Muslim women wear black to deprive themselves of colour while Christians and Buddhist wear black during mourning.”

Extending the use of these two colours to theatre, Bedekar added, “Black and white are used in backdrops, lights and make up to create different moods on stage.”

Tracing back his fascination towards black and white to his school days, Ranade said that writing on a slate with a chalk pencil was a pleasure as the words had an innate beauty.

“I used to be intrigued by the manner in which my maths teacher used to write various numbers and symbols on the black board. The flourish with which he used to make those strokes made him more of an artist rather than a maths teacher,” he said.

“As a student of fine arts, I was told that black and white were not colours at all. But I feel they are the best in terms of hues. I prefer black over white as it is calming while white is snobbish. Black absorbs while white rejects.”

Black is the colour of rebellion and I love to be within this colour, said Channe. “It is wrong to think of them as contradictory. In truth, they complement each other,” said the artists, who is known for extensive use of black in his paintings.

“I find black beautiful. I was born with a dark skin and that is what keeps me close to this colour. My canvas, the walls in my house are mostly in black. This colour has given me an identity,” he said.