New Delhi: Celebrating the freedom of expression, the 2nd National Art Icons Competition here honoured artists for their contribution to society by spreading the message of peace through their paintings.

New Delhi: Celebrating the freedom of expression, the 2nd National Art Icons Competition here honoured artists for their contribution to society by spreading the message of peace through their paintings. 

The exhibition cum competition, which concluded today, focused on showcasing cultural essence of Indian traditions and witnessed participants from different parts of the country. The gold medal was awarded to Bishwaranjan Bhunia for 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna', an acrylic on canvas, while Bengali artist Bijoy Dutta's portrait of goddess Durga bagged a silver medal during the event.

For the painting titled 'Durga', Dutta has used geometrical patterns to represent the goddess as a symbol of preservation and destruction. Gauranga Bariki's acrylic on canvas titled 'Raag Shankar' won bronze medal. Organised by Hammerartag.com, the art show also focused on promoting women artists while showcasing works of forty artists from different parts of the country.

"The event is an effort to promote peace in this stressful world. Making the event truly national, the participants represented almost all states and national territories," Gayatri Vashistha, managing director of Hammerartag.com said. Hammerartag's special award in the category 'Freedom of Speech and Expression' was given to artist Sunita Dinda's 'Kite-2', while artist Santanu Dinda, Kashish Batra and Neelima Sharma bagged consolation prizes. The show was held at All Indian Fine Arts and Craft Society here, and was attended by eminent artists and art connoisseurs. PTI