cognishift.org COGNISHIFT INSIDER, VOL. 1, ISSUE 04/25
🎨 Serenity on Canvas: Shanthi Prabhakaran’s Window into Nature
By Dr. Prashant Madanmohan
Editor-in-Chief, Cognishift Insider
“There is a certain quietude that only art can hold — a silence that sings, a stillness that breathes. In Shanthi Prabhakaran’s landscape paintings, that silence blossoms into beauty.”
Held at the prestigious Lalit Kala Akademi, Chennai, the solo exhibition by artist Mrs. Shanthi Prabhakaran opened its doors on 25th March 2025, inviting visitors into a world painted not just with color, but with feeling. Thirty evocative works on display — scenes born out of her travels, emotions, and memories — transformed the gallery into a sanctuary of light and landscape.
🖼️ A Window into the Wild
Every canvas in this exhibition seemed to offer a window to another world. Sceneries captured with such precision and softness — from mountains that shifted shape depending on the viewer’s angle to woods painted with split sunlight dancing across foliage — made one feel like they were stepping into the painting rather than observing it.
A particularly striking work depicted a pink flowering tree in full bloom. The painting seemed almost three-dimensional, its blossoms lifting from the canvas in hues so vivid they transcended realism. It wasn’t just technique — it was magic. Depth, detail, and a keen sense of composition define Mrs. Shanthi’s acrylic works, creating the illusion of motion within stillness.
🖌️ The Journey Behind the Brush
Speaking to visitors with grace and warmth, Shanthi Prabhakaran shared her passion for painting — a devotion spanning over thirty years. Her works are deeply personal, often inspired by the natural beauty she encounters during her visits to her children living abroad. The exhibition, in many ways, is a journey of a mother, an artist, and a traveller — each canvas a visual postcard of love and wonder.
Using acrylic on canvas, she captures fleeting moments — the light just before dusk, the gentleness of mist on a hill, the stillness of a lake — and immortalizes them with quiet reverence. Her color palette is both grounded and generous, speaking of earth, sky, and heart.
🌿 A Tribute to Nature and Spirit
The theme of the exhibition, “Let’s paint a greener tomorrow on nature’s canvas,” is not just a poetic caption — it’s a heartfelt plea. Through her art, Mrs. Shanthi reminds us of the fragile beauty of the world we inhabit, and the necessity of preserving its serenity.
One of the visitors, Mari Poghosyan, an Armenian impressionist , was deeply touched by the exhibition. “There is a soul in her landscapes,” she remarked, “a voice in the silence. These are not just paintings; they are meditations.”
🎉 Inauguration and Accolades
The exhibition was inaugurated in the esteemed presence of Thiru R. Nataraj, IPS (Retd.), Former MLA of Mylapore, whose words of encouragement uplifted both the artist and the gathering of art lovers, well-wishers, and fellow creators.
The show runs from 26th to 31st March 2025, from 11 AM to 7 PM, at Lalit Kala Akademi’s First Floor Gallery, Greams Road, Chennai.
✨ Final Reflections
In a world saturated with distraction, Shanthi Prabhakaran’s art slows time. It invites you to pause, to breathe, and to truly see. Whether it is a distant forest trail or a flowering tree on an unknown street, her work gently asks: Can you still find beauty in silence?
If your heart answers yes, this exhibition is where you need to be.
📍 Visit the show and rediscover the landscapes that live within you.
Cognishift Insider proudly celebrates women artists whose brushstrokes become bridges between soul and soil.
📍 Published in the May–June 2025 issue of Cognishift Insider
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