Visakhapatnam artist Srinivasa Rao Kanumuri’s latest work Vignaharta marks his foray into mythology, reinterpretation of an ideology and episodes from the Indian epics. The 30” x 30” work of art is a visual spectacle done in mixed media on canvas. It recently won the first prize at an online art competition organised by Dubai-based organisation Artscraft. Founded by Anil Kejriwal, Artscraft is a platform for promoting Indian artists. Srinivasa’s work won under the theme of Vignaharta on lord Ganesha wherein he bagged the first prize through online voting and by the consensus of the jury. He won a cash prize of ₹25,000 and a trophy. He was adjudged the winner among more than 200 participants from India and other countries including Thailand, Nepal, USA, and Sri Lanka.
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Srinivasa used Kalamkari motifs and pattern work; the characters were portrayed through the design elements of Tholu Bommalata, a puppet theatre tradition of Andhra Pradesh where figures are fashioned in translucent, coloured leather. The features are ornate and strikingly stylised. It took 25 days for Srinivasa to complete the work, devoting 10 hours every day.
Visakhapatnam artist Srinivasa Rao Kanumuri’s latest award winning work of Vignaharta. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Many of his recent works are on mythological themes with an emphasis on finer details. “I like to explore the different facets of a character and build a story on its background. For example, instead of limiting the work to Ganesha in Vignaharta, I have narrated the significant parts of his life story on canvas,” he says. “Ganesha is the son of Shiva, whose better half is goddess Parvati. Both of them combine to make a formidable force in Indian mythology. Hence in the painting, one half of Shiva is represented by Parvati,” says the artist. The centre of the canvas shows Panchamukhi Ganesha with five heads, each facing a different direction. Towards the right is sage Vyasa making Ganesha write the Mahabharata.
Visakhapatnam artist Srinivasa Rao Kanumuri’s latest work for Independence Day | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Drawn to doodling and painting for his childhood, it was at the age of 18 that Srinivasa decided to take up Fine Arts as a career. He bagged a gold medal at a national level drawing competition, following which he moved to Visakhapatnam from a village in Krishna district in the late 90s to study at Andhra University. “I came to know about the intricate designs of Kalamkari and its history at the university and it appealed to me,” he says.
Kalamkari art is of two distinct styles, one that is from Srikalahasti and the other one is from Machilipatnam. Drawn to this unique art, Srinivasa spent over three months in Srikalahasti learning the finer details from a local artist before he started exploring it in his own style. In the art field for 20 years now, Srinivasa is known for his Kalamkari work which he executes on varied subjects, often veering away from mythological figures.