DHANYA DAS

It is not everyday that someone gives up an Engineering Masters from a prestigious Institution to follow their childhood passion. This is exactly what Dhanya Das, hailing from a small village in Kerala, did. A gifted child, she started painting at the age of three. With an MTech in Environmental Engineering from IIT Kanpur, she chose to follow her passion for art and became a full-time artist, “…who loves to paint Gods and humans.”

Dhanya’s paintings depict characters from Indian mythology and ancient literature. While her

favourite subject is Goddess Parashakti in all her forms, the divinities presented in her art include the Hindu pantheon of Goddesses, Siva, Ganesha, and the various incarnations of Vishnu.

Her unique talent is undeniably her capacity to portray the divine through art in a highly detailed and realistic manner. The exploration and experience of spirituality while painting makes it a “mediative process” for this self-taught artist.

Dhanya currently paints from home; with two children aged three and two respectively, her

favourite time to paint is “any free time I get,” she says. It takes her anywhere between one and four months to complete a painting.

The artist exhibited her work at The India Art Festival 2022 held in Bengaluru, where she sold 18

paintings. In the future, she hopes to explore the rich cultural heritage of India through its people, festivals and artforms, and paint “indigenous people in their natural setting and attire,” she says.

She also aspires to inspire and educate artists “who are focused on realism with Indian

soul.”Dhanya’s paintings are available in Giclée prints which ensure that the prints have the

unmatched quality of digital reproduction and last for a century and longer.