Paresh Maity's Live Painting at Eden Gardens: A Celebration of Cricket and Art

On Tuesday, a portion of the Eden gallery was animated by a flurry of brushstrokes.

On the field, Pakistan and Bangladesh faced off. But the brush, not the bat, was used to make the strokes.

The painting by Paresh Maity depicts a moment from the South Africa-Sri Lanka match in Delhi

As the match transpired on the ground, seasoned painter Paresh Maity breathed life into a canvas.

Around 2:00 pm, when the game began, Maity began painting on a circular canvas in a section of K Block to the left of Club House, a reference to the stadium's shape. He spent the next seven hours creating an acrylic painting on canvas that featured three cricket players in motion.

The two nearby buildings could be seen in the background, one of which had a huge white ball on its roof.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has given Maity the task of "capturing the distinct essence and the electrifying atmosphere" of the World Cup match venues.

The "Cricket's Greatest Canvas" campaign aims to use art to commemorate the diverse and rich tapestry of the World Cup frenzy.

He will create masterpieces depicting cricket, capturing the essence of the game with his vivid hues and creative brushwork, all within the electrifying atmosphere of the matches. Viewers and art enthusiasts alike will have the exceptional chance to see Maity's creativity in action as the matches progress, giving the World Cup experience a whole new meaning. According to the organizers, "his live painting sessions promise to be a celebration of both art and cricket, fusing the beauty of artistic expression with the thrill of the game."

Four of the ten stadiums that will host World Cup matches will have live painting sessions. The first session took place on October 7, during the South Africa vs. Sri Lanka match, at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Maity will go from Eden Gardens to Wankhede in Mumbai on November 2 for the India vs. Sri Lanka game, and from Ahmedabad to Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 10 for the South Africa vs. Afghanistan match.

"I had the impression that this tournament is a celebration that brings people together as I observed and sketched the match between South Africa and Sri Lanka in Delhi. Every stadium has an aura of its own. However, the Eden Gardens is unique, particularly at night, Maity said in an interview with The Telegraph on Tuesday.

Spectators kept arriving in droves to see the artist in action. Numerous individuals who recognized the Padma Shri recipient approached to snap a photo with him.

Great literature and art have long drawn inspiration from cricket. We are thrilled to have Paresh Marty, one of the country's greatest artists, join us in stadiums to document unique moments from the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023. Claire Furlong, general manager of marketing and communications at ICC, said, "The live in-stadia painting will give fans the chance to see one of India's great artists at work as he produces 10 canvases that will capture the unique spirit of this event."

Prior to the summit meeting, on November 19, the paintings will be on display at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium, according to the organizers.

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