Article from Times of India

Hi-fi excellence- by - Isana Murti
 
Salvata Gomes Makhani is making her debut in a solo show after training at the Goa College of Art, Panjim and a post diploma at the faculty of fine arts, Baroda and I would veture to suggest that this young lady will soon join the ranks of our established graphic artists.

The 40 works on view comprise largely of etchings and lithos with the odd woodcut and lino but almost all are charaterised by a strong under-current of ecclesiastical severity and sorrow - the protagnists undergong some form of extreme penance for omissions of flesh and spirit (?).

While this may be a reflection of the artist's own Catholic church upbringing and the religious fabric of Goa, Makhani also makes a wider comment in some of her prints - as for instance in "Tribal Girl." My favorite of the show, Lady with a cigarret. There is a throwback to the early Souza in Makhani's prints - a strain devoid of the feathered shaft and obvious derivation but yet there is a strong personal authenticity to the younger artist's realization. This is most apparent in "Pieta", one of the more powerful prints on view - where the strong contrasts of black and while testify to Makhani's technical competence as a graphic artist.

One had noticed in the national exhibition on view at the Lalit Kala galleries, that some of our younger printmakers prefer to exploit the random and chance effect of the plate and while this may have occassional merrit, the great use of this probability factor is apparent to the trained eye and detracts from the intrinsic effects of the print.

As a matter of fact another artist from Goa - F.N.Sousa - who was on view in the National is case in point. Makhani to that extent has been extremely rigurous in her handling of the plate and the pre-ordained imagestic conviction stands her in good stead.

In this high-fidelity black and white excellence, the foray into colour seems a bit tentative and its likely that the artist will work this out in the many shows and exhibitions that will surely follow this splendid debut.