If there is a strong imagery running through R. Udhayakumar’s canvases, it is that of movement, speed and flight. Horses with wings soaring towards the sky, raging bulls charging or a rooster… it’s as if the artist is obsessed with them.
And you realise the reason behind this choice of subjects when you discover the profile of 39-year-old Udhayakumar. He suffers from Spinal Muscular Dystrophy (SMA), which means the neurons of his spinal cord and brain stem are affected. So much so, he can now only move his thumb and index fingers, and that is how he paints!
Diagnosed with this rare condition when he was a 10-month-old baby, Udhayakumar did manage to complete his 10 Standard. But slowly, his whole bodily movements were arrested as the illness became more pronounced. And, he even lost his muscular power to swallow food. But Udhayakumar’s passion for his art too grew stronger. “Painting is my oxygen,” says the artist, whose positivity, determination and grit are his greatest assets.
Walking through a retrospective of his work now mounted at Gallery Sri Parvathi, one gets a peek at Udhayakumar’s keen sense of observation, passion for vibrant colours and a palette that is full of contrasts. So there’s orange on black, purple and yellow, deep blue and yellow, black with yellow, and black on red. There are a few in mono colours too.
What really catches your eye is a line drawing of M.F. Husain flanked by horses, with a fallen brush on one side. “He drew that when he heard of the legend’s passing away,” says Lakshmi Venkatraman of Gallery Sri Parvati.
Another intriguing line drawing shows a deep pit with a seedling complete with arms and legs. You learn that it’s Udhaya’s impression of children falling into open drains, and dying!
And then there is one where white figures crowd three domes. “That’s a depiction of the demolition of Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.” That Udhayakumar is deeply inspired by Picasso and Pointillism can be seen in a couple of his canvases, like the dragonfly.
The one, however, that’s heart-rending features a horse with wings but with a body that is in chains.
Udhayakumar says it’s a self portrait! It tells you a lot about this man who takes each day as it comes, and lives for his art. The pillars of Udhayakumar’s existence are his parents who do everything for him, including encouraging him to paint sometimes into the wee hours of the morning.
The proceeds of this show, supported by HeART BEAT Foundation, will go to Udhayakumar’s medical expenses. The exhibition of his paintings (priced between Rs. 4000 and Rs.10,000) at Gallery Sri Parvathi, Eldams Road, has been extended up to November 30.
