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Lot 65

 

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A. Ramachandran was born in Kerala in 1935. He trained as a sculptor and muralist, creating works that incorporate traditional Indian aesthetics and possess a mythical surrealism. Nature has featured extensively in his works, especially in the past two decades. The latter years helped shape a far more vibrant artistic idiom in terms of his bright palette and graceful composition, while remnants of the preceding decades are to be found in his... A. Ramachandran was born in Kerala in 1935. He trained as a sculptor and muralist, creating works that incorporate traditional Indian aesthetics and possess a mythical surrealism. Nature has featured extensively in his works, especially in the past two decades. The latter years helped shape a far more vibrant artistic idiom in terms of his bright palette and graceful composition, while remnants of the preceding decades are to be found in his figurative structuring.

In the 1950s, when Ramachandran was beginning his career, ideas of what constituted “high art” in Kerala was limited to the photorealistic academicism set by the works of Raja Ravi Verma. This inertia prompted Ramachandran to search for inspiration elsewhere. He arrived at Santiniketan in 1957, where his interest in murals and sculpture was kindled through the works of Nandalal Bose, Binode Behari Mukherjee, and Ramkinkar Baij. While Santiniketan fuelled his creativity, he sought intellectual stimulation by exploring Calcutta, which helped him map his experiences. His initial works reflected the grim realities of the ‘50s and ‘60s: of poverty, insurgency, post-partition conflicts and the violence brought about through unrest. His preoccupation with violence and harshness continued into the ‘70s. Headless figures and mutilated bodies formed recurring motifs in works from these decades. Apart from the technical and intellectual sophistication of his subjects, the large, visually arresting format of the murals worked in his favour, and he achieved his major breakthrough in 1966. These initial years paved the way in succeeding decades for him to build a reputation. More importantly, his sensitivity to the pain and harshness around him were an asset to his understanding of the human figure and his rendering of it.

Over the course of these decades, Ramachandran’s travels and encounters with various indigenous arts and crafts led to a diminishing of politico-social stimuli and gave way to more sensual, rhythmic renderings: the nascent stages of a new direction in his art. Santhal women were a muse for the artist; many of his preparatory sketches featuring Santhal women display his attention to detail and exploration of adopting the figure to his idiom. He had also developed a preference for murals and his works were replete with intricate detailing, Baroque excesses and a gripping command over light and shadow. His encounters with Mughal miniature, Jain and Bahsoli paintings drew his attention not just to detailing, but to the nuances of storytelling through visuals. He would work with his panels set vertically, gradually building up the scene, giving life to the narrative. Nature began featuring in his works post the 1980s: lotus motifs he had encountered in the decorative murals of Ajanta had become a metaphor for the world. In terms of composition, palette, structure and narrative, his works from the 1990s and 2000s were far more vibrant and displayed an inherent luminosity.

The present lot, made in 2010, carries forward his idiomatic development. Executed in bright, alluring tints and shades, it heightens the emotive response to the subject of the painting. The girl’s eyes reveal a preoccupation with issues unknown to the viewer, however the grace and poise with which she is rendered intrigues the viewer. This accuracy and technical sophistication can be traced back to Ramachandran’s portrait studies of the 1990s which show Rajasthani girls seated, shoulders hunched, looking askance, thoughtful and meditative. The lotus motifs hold a purpose that exceeds decoration and exoticism: they exist to sensitise and guide the understanding of the subject. Art critic Ella Datta elucidates this expected approach to the work: “Ramachandran is not content to merely represent the world of natural phenomena as perceived by the human eye. He transposes the visible reality into tropes expressing a personal philosophy, an idealised vision of the world where the poor are indeed inheritors of the earth...in traditional Indian art such a vision of the natural environment was used as a metaphor of heavenly bliss.” (“Face to Face Art Practice of A. Ramachandran: A Dialogue”, Face to Face: Art Practice of A. Ramachandran, The Guild Art Gallery Exhibition Catalogue, Mumbai, 2007, pg.15)

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