Important Notice

G.R. Iranna’s concerns have always centered on the human condition, and particularly on the crises of identity that emerge out of the various contemporary intersections of private and public, spiritual and material. In many of his large-format works on canvas and tarpaulin, these concerns are voiced through the uneasy relationship that the central figure shares with the landscape.

In the present lot, Iranna juxtaposes a lone,... G.R. Iranna’s concerns have always centered on the human condition, and particularly on the crises of identity that emerge out of the various contemporary intersections of private and public, spiritual and material. In many of his large-format works on canvas and tarpaulin, these concerns are voiced through the uneasy relationship that the central figure shares with the landscape.

In the present lot, Iranna juxtaposes a lone, kneeling figure with a tangle of sharply angled, intersecting lines. This claustrophobic environment is, perhaps, a comment on the complexity of modern life, and the feeling of being trapped that many people experience in having to constantly negotiate their next move. Although the artist’s figures seem ascetic, they are vulnerable nonetheless, forever dodging bullets in their quest for reason. Additionally, as the archetype or embodiment of existential crisis, they are torn between rising above the world on one hand, and responding to its desires and violence on the other.

The artist’s choice of surface and technique match his subjects’ existential confusion. Immersed in paint and unsympathetically bruised with drips and splatters, Iranna’s surfaces reflect the physicality of his creative process and heighten the anxiety of his characters. Explaining his use of tarpaulin, the artist says, “A smooth surface binds me…I want to extend myself, for which I need rougher surfaces. The choice of materials I use reflects my temperament. After working on various types of paper and canvases, I opted for the rough surface of tarpaulin. It shows the restlessness in me. I like the rusted surface of an iron sheet and old depleted walls. These surfaces excite me to create…” (rpt. in Ranjit Hoskote, The Dancer on the Horse: Reflections on the Art of Iranna GR, Mapin Publishing, Ahmedabad, 2006, p. 26, 27).

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