Ramesh Terdal has been engaged in an artistic struggle for a long time. While on the one hand he is trying to work around well-known thinker Benedetto Croce’s philosophy, on the other hand Ramesh is negotiating with influences from Jackson Pollock, a well-known name in abstract expressionistic movement and Antoni Tapies.
“Croce said what is vague and ambiguous is complete. He was of the belief that it is not possible to express your complete feelings on a canvas. I am trying to see if the other is possible. With Pollock, I follow his way of throwing colours which then drip onto a canvas but in an Indian context and I am inspired by the application of plain colours in Antonio’s work. You see all this in my art but in my own language,” says Terdal. He has just finished his solo at Art Houz and is now gearing up for his two upcoming solos in Budapest.
Terdal’s art is marked by minimalism and imagery which at once is abstract yet identifiable. One finds traces of human figures, animals, fish in his paintings appearing as if they have been made visible after the surface has been scratched. Terdal was born in Gadag and shifted to Bengaluru in 1998 where he studied art at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath.
“I remember how my teachers would tell me after seeing every painting that there is nothing new in it. That’s what I started to work towards. I developed my art vocabulary. I would beg and even steal catalogues to learn about art. I would travel to see art shows because there was no internet at that time. I learnt a lot from my elder brother Raju Terdal, who is also an artist working quietly,” recalls Terdal, who is currently pursuing Ph.D from Bengaluru University in portraiture in art.
Terdal’s work is marked by minimalism and imagery which at once is abstract but yet identifiable.
Terdal began as a portrait artist. “Not the usual way. I don’t paint it from a photograph but from perception. I always wanted my art to grow from knowledge, which it has. I have come a long way. Can you imagine a boy from Gadag making it big in Bangalore and beyond? It was the urge in me to grow. It was my burning desire to travel and see the masterpieces in museums across Europe. In 2011, I was invited to an art symposium in Italy and it changed everything,” says Terdal, who also works from his studio in Slovakia.
As Terdal roamed around gaining exposure, his thought process began to change and in 2016, he received global artist award in Hungary. The artist has formed a close connection with Hungary, where Amrita Sher-gil was born. He has made several friends and showcases there often.
