The Graduate Student Center's previously bare walls will now be adorned by student artwork.
A month after it opened its doors to serve the graduate student community, the Center has recently launched a series of art exhibits in conjunction with the Graduate School of Fine Arts.
Each month, the Center will feature artwork by a different GSFA student.
"We'll be doing this once a month," Center Director Anita Mastroieni said. "One of the first things we decided when we opened the Graduate Student Center was to work with the Fine Arts division to have artists showcase and talk about their work."
This month's exhibit features paintings by GSFA student Gautam Rao, the recipient of last year's Susan Coslett Cromwell Traveling Fellowship, which allowed him to go to India last summer.
Entitled 'An Indian Summer,' his paintings depict the suburban landscapes of Bangalore, India.
On Tuesday night, Rao spoke about his collection of over a dozen oil paintings at a reception held in his honor.
"The most important thing about travel is the people," Rao said. "I had to make the best of autobiography and landscape in my first travel as an artist... In my previous year, all I did was self portraits."
Rao's paintings were aimed at depicting the physical nature of Bangalore.
"I attempted to describe my experiences in an urban context," he said.
For Rao, an Indian American, traveling to India was more than just an attempt to sketch the landscape of a changing country. It was also an opportunity for him to come to terms with his roots.
"Making the trip allowed me to have closer ties with my family in India," he said.
"I was under scrutiny," he added. "People clustered around and inadvertently improved my Kannada [the local language in Bangalore]. This period represents the happiest portion of my life."
The paintings were generally well-received by the audience, who praised the artist's accurate perception of India.
"The image we have of Bangalore is a hip, urban city where young people hang out," Engineering Graduate student Karthik Balasubramaniam said. "We tend to forget that such parts actually exist."
In addition to the physical depiction, others enjoyed the qualities of the art.
"I like the lighting and use of color," Hill College House Scholar in Residence Lawrence Gelburd said. "It's impressive for such a young artist. I wouldn't have known it's his first time doing landscapes."
The paintings will be on display until December 8th.
