ART

AUCTIONS

EXHIBITIONS

JEWELLERY & COLLECTIBLES

ANTIQUITIES

PRIME PROPERTIES

A V Ilango

Profile

| Summary

"From nothing everything starts. From a point it becomes a line then a form then solid and then nothing again. Space expresses itself as solid forms."
AV Ilango is a 52-year-old professor of Mathematics and freelance artist based in Chennai. He was born in the town of Gobichettipalayam in Tamil Nadu and although he has had no formal schooling in art, his career as an artist, spanning more than 25 years, has been nothing but...
Read More "From nothing everything starts. From a point it becomes a line then a form then solid and then nothing again. Space expresses itself as solid forms."
AV Ilango is a 52-year-old professor of Mathematics and freelance artist based in Chennai. He was born in the town of Gobichettipalayam in Tamil Nadu and although he has had no formal schooling in art, his career as an artist, spanning more than 25 years, has been nothing but successful.

Ilango`s first experiments with art reflect the rich and solid cultural backdrop that surrounded him. He lived at the epicentre of Dravidian art and culture and it was only natural that his first "generation" of work reflects the rural traditions and temple art of his home state. These pieces employed warm earthy tones like browns and ochres, sometimes in loud and daring impastos, and essayed the dynamism and energy of the rustic people.

But Ilango wasn`t an artist who was satisfied with the exploration of a single theme. Years of painting relaxed scenes of mountains and paddy fields with rural people at work, at rest or in celebration changed when Ilango went to Chennai. In the early eighties, his work was taken over by a darkness and obscurity as a result of his witnessing the urban realities of a bustling metropolis. The city`s poverty and problems hit Ilango with great force, and affected him as a person as well as an artist. The warped priorities of urban living in South India are seen in his inventive paintings of cycles, rickshaws, lorries, bullock carts and swanky automobiles with jostling crowds.

Resolute not to be totally absorbed by this gloom, Ilango decided to turn back to the rich folklore and images of Gobichettipalayam. His "Rhythm" series of folk musicians and dancers radiate with their joy and energy.
Today although Ilango states that folk art is his main source of inspiration, he acknowledges being influenced a great deal by Matisse. But whatever this artist chooses as a subject, his main concern is with its placement on the canvas, and the division of space into positive and negative. He is well known for his bull images, which for him stand for virility and potential energy. With numerous one man and group shows in India, Singapore and one at the Commonwealth Institute, London in 1995 to his credit Ilango has created quite a name for himself in a the world of art that recognizes him as a mathematician. The British Council Division of Madras selected the artist for a Visitorship Program in November 1992, and in 1997 Orient Longman, invited him to illustrate their prestigious publication, "Silapathikaram and Manimekalai." In 2002 his focus is on a series of drawings based on Balamurali Krishna`s writings.

Honours and Awards

1997 Illustration for 'Dune Inde a l'autre", Lyons France

1997 Tamil Nadu State Lalit Kala Academy Award

1996 Illustrations of Indian Classics for Orient Longman Ltd

1992 British Council Visitorship Programme to UK

Read More

To be notified when A V Ilango works come up for sale on Saffronart:

Thank you. You have been subscribed.

X

PAST StoryLTD AUCTIONS

Showing 3 of 3 works

Lot 36 Details

Absolute Tuesdays 30 July 2024

A V Ilango

Untitled

Acrylic on canvas

37.5 x 31.5 in

Winning bid
$1,800
Rs 1,49,400
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

USD payement only

USD payment only. Why?

Lot 37 Details

Absolute Tuesdays 30 July 2024

A V Ilango

Untitled

Acrylic on canvas

31.5 x 31.75 in

Winning bid
$1,080
Rs 89,640
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

USD payement only

USD payment only. Why?

Lot 30 Details

Charity Auction in support of Community Against Drunken Driving 9 April 2024

A V Ilango

Untitled

Acrylic on canvas

33.75 x 34.25 in

Winning bid
$1,171
Rs 96,000
(Inclusive of buyer's premium)

BUY NOW AT StoryLTD

Include sold works

Showing 1 of 1 works

Ref 84127 Details

A V Ilango

Untitled

Acrylic on canvas

29.5 x 35 in

$3,373
Rs 2,90,000

Need help? For more information on Indian Art, please see our Art Guide. For help with buying through Saffronart please click here. If you have any other questions, please contact us.