Pune, July 18: THEIR grace and power when they gallop is awe-inspiring,’’ says artist Babu Panchal. A visit to the race course, prompted the artist to record the beauty and grace of the animal on canvas. The result is an exhibition of oil paintings with the subject of horses currently on display at Malaka Spice, Koregaon Park.

A group of three galloping horses silhouetted against a cloudy skyscape, a brown beauty caught as it jumps over a hurdle, stallions walking in unison into the sunset - Panchal’s canvas captures them all with an eye for detail.

A native of Karnataka, Panchal studied art at the Kanoria Arts Centre, Ahmedabad. Always inclined towards the arts, Panchal, a professional painter has held several individual and group shows in cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Hyderabad. This, however, is his first show in Pune. ‘‘I moved to the city last year from Mumbai because I thought its peaceful atmosphere was conducive to creativity,’’ says Panchal.

‘‘When I moved here, I wanted to paint on a subject that was new for me. So on a visit to the race course, I struck upon the subject of horses,’’ he adds. The artist took a year to paint horses, visiting the race course often and spending hours to observe his subjects before heading back to his home in Loni to draw them. An intriguing painting in the series, is that of a set of seven horses galloping outwards from a circle. ‘‘This painting depicts the Sun God, with the horses as a symbol of energy,’’says Panchal. With the opening of the Pune racing season, this then was the perfect time to display them.

The exhibition will be on display at the Malaka Spice until August 15.

Horse-o-scope
The Arian is impulsive and Gemini is fun-loving. But hold on, these are zodiac analysis, not of humans, but horses, the topic of city-based astrologer Anand Soni’s new book. ‘‘When I first overheard a lady complaining about her horse’s stubborn behaviour - that’s when I realised that they have distinct personalities,’’ says Soni who set about looking for zodiac traits in his equine subjects.