Till she was 23, psychology student Gita never took art seriously. Her exposure to art was limited to the occasional doodle and sketch. Then, she got acquainted with the works of European masters thanks to a cousin who collected art books. Slowly, psychology took the backseat, and she started by copying the works of the greats — Monet, Renoir… “Huge canvases, mind you. I never thought of starting off small,” she laughs.
Her first copy was Monet’s Woman with a Parasol .
From then to now, Gita’s life has taken on a totally new colour. Her latest collection is Murals Revisited , the result of extensive travels across temples in the State. It features 31 canvases that draw from resplendent temple murals in places such as Thiruvalanjuli and Srirangam. “Almost every great artist I have met has spoken about temples being treasure troves of art,” she says.
Gita first showed in 1993-94, but developed a style of her own in 2005. “I started doing semi-abstracts with musical instruments. Every five years, my style changes, but there’s always a connecting thread in the colourscape,” she says.
Crimson rules her current collection. “That’s my favourite colour,” she says, and speaks of a recent visit to temples in Nepal, where the colour was slathered on deities. “Such a lovely swathe of crimson,” she recalls.
Gita, an artist, curator and documentary film maker, still recalls her early works — copies of M.F. Husain’s horses, metal relief works, corporate orders. “The money from them kept me going till I found my own style,” she says. “Even now, when I see them hanging somewhere, I think they look raw. But, the owners tell me they cherish the piece. Art allows you to forge rare bonds,” she says.
How long a journey was it from European Impressionists to native murals? “A really long one,” she confesses. “But, because I’m self taught, I read up on everything, I tried to absorb every influence. Finally, after all the churning, there is clarity.”
Documentary films happened at around the same time. She has made more than 15 films, on subjects such as M. Suriyamoorthy, P. Perumal, Narendra Babu, Vidya Sankar Sthapathy and Achuthan Kudallur, besides Kurumba tribal painters and Gond artists.
“I think art, especially the work of masters, has to be documented.” She’s now working on groups of wood puppeteers from Salem. “One group, in fact, features women. The men had moved to towns for work, and the art form was passed on to them.”
The numerous visits to temples to study murals have also left Gita questioning a lot of current societal mores. “From a time when all women had to do was look adorable and please the men, we’ve come a long way. When I see murals featuring concubines and devadasis, I do wonder if they were happy. Did they ever feel love? Did they feel possessive about their men?” Gita ponders. “But, the same works have taught me to be accepting and to never judge.”
After this show, Gita will move back to her abstracts. “Abstracts are draining; it is creation from scratch. When I need a break, I recreate murals,” she says. And, that is when Gita traverses centuries, and brings back to the modern world something painted centuries ago by an unknown artist.
The exhibition features paintings that are priced from Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 65,000. It is on at Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery, Avanashi Road, till August 12. For details, call 0422-2574110.
