Artist K. Satyanarayana remembers his student years as a “challenging” phase that not only tested his capacity to multitask to support his family financially but also as one that brought him closer to his childhood passion — painting.
At 68, he looks back at those years as being the best days of his life when he explored the medium of painting in a myriad ways. “Back then I would attend classes in AU in the day time and paint during the rest of the time with hardly three hours of sleep. By involving myself in art, I would get the mental strength to come out of all the financial hardships,” says the self-taught artist. The retired chief manager of Mazagaon Dock has since then nurtured his passion through artworks with a thrust on human lifestyle and nature. Some 47 works of the artist have been displayed at an exhibition at Rajiv Smruthi Bhavan, Beach Road. Most of his works highlight different lifestyles and show the human figure in various forms portrayed on oil on canvas medium.
“I have always been fascinated by village life and the feminine beauty. In my works, I have attempted to capture the essence of that beauty, be it in the simplicity of the rural lifestyle of Rajasthan or the expressive and graceful elements of our classical dance forms,” says Satyanarayana. His decade-long stint in Mumbai gave him the exposure in a variety of art forms and a platform to meet noted artists from across the country. “Every weekend I would make it a point to visit art galleries and meet artists,” he adds. This is the artist’s second solo exhibition in the city. His works had also been displayed at a solo exhibition in Mumbai’s Nehru Centre in 2008. “My work life was very hectic and far from any form of creativity. It was through the medium of painting that I explored a different side of me. Art for me is meditative and it has brought me closer to nature,” says the artist. His works are displayed at the exhibition that will be on till May 18 and open from 11 a.m. till 6 p.m.
