On the first floor of the gallery in the new block of NGMA, A. Ramachandran stands in a corner and looks at Bahurupi, a constellation of sculptures placed at another.
He flashes a smile of contentment. “I have exhibited all over India but I feel I have never got a space like this. You stand at one corner and look at another. My work is like public art. It is not for rooms. It is huge and you need space to see it. I have never seen my work this way,” says Ramachandran, one of the most significant Indian artists of his retrospective at NGMA, Bengaluru.
In the retrospective presented by Vadehra Art Gallery, curator R. Shivakumar has tried to give a glimpse of the artistic journey of the 82 year-old artist through a collection of 105 paintings, bronze sculptures, sketches and drawings.
The initial years in his native state Kerala and formal studies at Santiniketan along with an inclination for Malayalam literature, have been major shapers of Ramachandran’s oeuvre. In fact, Dostoyevsky also influenced him to an extent that led him to create several works during 1965-75. He would have found it difficult to remain indifferent to India-Pakistan war in 1965.
From misery to celebration, that is how long his canvases have travelled in these 56 years. “It has been a long and a lonely journey because I didn’t become part of any group, any movement. I took a very different path,” says the artist who studied under Ramkinkar Baij, one of the pioneers of modern Indian sculpture.
Pointing out at Bahurupi, the set of sculptures in which the artist takes on different forms from avalokiteshwara to kurma. “Bahurupi is a folk art in which the actor takes on different roles. I am like a bahurupi here, playing with imagery. It is extremely personal,” explains the Delhi-based artist. Elsewhere he becomes the Bhopa, the chief priest singing Ramdev Bhajans.
Nature allows him that entry point. Lush-green Kerala and later scenic Santiniketan where Baij exhorted his students to go out and paint, made him conscious of the power of nature. After he graduated from Kalabhavana, he discovered the raw beauty of Udaipur, the temple city of Eklingji and its bhil devotees.
Vast lotus ponds entered his repertoire from Ekalinji where he sat for days and nights watching the changing hues and shapes of the leaves, flowers.
In Homage to the Setting Sun, all the leaves are portrayed tilted in one direction.
“They are moving with the moving sun. They are like mourners. They die when the sun sets. I have shown lotus ponds in various moods and now I want to do a dead lotus pond,” says the artist adding that lotus ponds have become life-long inspiration.
He spent hours and days studying them, drawing them and a few of his studies are part of the show. A particularly interesting study is that of dead lotus whose leaves are eaten away slowly by water and just its nervous system remains.
“People have a romantic idea about artists. A show like this can tell them about hard work that goes into it. I don’t wait for inspiration. I work every day just like anybody else and it is not easy to do such large paintings,” says the artist on whom the celebrated film maker Shaji Karun is now making a documentary.
MORE ABOUT RAMACHANDRAN
A talk was also held discussing the illustrious career of A.Ramachandran. Curator R. Shivakumar gave insights into his artistic compulsions and his evolution over the years. Yayati, the monumental work drawing on the legend of Yayati done in 1986 was also discussed in detail. The oil painting comprising 12 panels and divided into three sections marked a turning point in his career. In a candid chat with the audience, he shared his experiences of doing book covers, illustrations and teach art at Jamia Millia University. A recipient of Padma Bhushan, several of his works are in public spaces.
(The exhibition is on view at NGMA, Bangalore, Palace Road, till October 26)
