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Lot 38

 

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Born in 1935 in Kerala, A. Ramachandran makes a strong case for traditional Indian aesthetics in his recent work, as well as for the value of classical Indian images in articulating a contemporary ideological position. Deeply influenced by the work of artist's like Nandalal Bose, as well as temple murals in Kerala, traditional Nathdwara and miniatures paintings, and the cave frescoes of Ajanta, Ramachandran has integrated several aspects of... Born in 1935 in Kerala, A. Ramachandran makes a strong case for traditional Indian aesthetics in his recent work, as well as for the value of classical Indian images in articulating a contemporary ideological position. Deeply influenced by the work of artist's like Nandalal Bose, as well as temple murals in Kerala, traditional Nathdwara and miniatures paintings, and the cave frescoes of Ajanta, Ramachandran has integrated several aspects of classical Indian art forms into his delicate watercolours, mural-scale canvases and elaborate sculptures. Apart from compound motifs, detailed natural imagery and various decorative elements, these also include the artist's themes and exuberant palette, and the proportions and postures of his figures.

Painted the year that Ramachandran was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of the Government of India's highest civilian honours, the present lot illustrates the artist's eye for detail, structure, palette and composition in its natural and human forms, and in the simple relationship they share. Drawing from a vast archive of studies and sketches, and his personal collection of miniatures, this large canvas recalls both early motifs from Ramachandran's oeuvre like the monkey, as well as elements that he gleaned from traditional Rajasthani paintings.

Unlike his early expressionist canvases, which focused on human angst, suffering and violence, Ramachandran's recent works like the present lot are lyrical and joyous celebrations of life and nature, evocative of myth and folklore. "While a continuous preoccupation with forms and images along with experimentation with various techniques and mediums has wrought this transformation, frequent trips to the remote tribal villages in Rajasthan and study of Rajasthani miniature traditions have further redefined and reformed Ramachandran's visual language…Ordinary tribal folk and the natural landscape that he continues to sketch in Rajasthan have been woven into the iconography of Indian classical art employed in his works…Still inspired by the natural environs and people of rural areas outside Udaipur in Rajasthan and saddened by its gradual disappearance, Ramachandran continues to create an imaginary universe that bestows them the beauty, pristineness, and permanence he wishes for them" ("About the Artist", www.artoframachandran.com, accessed August 2011).

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