For art enthusiasts and young artists, Srishti Art Gallery’s new exhibition Inked Legacies, Linked Geographies can serve as an introductory course in the history and development of artists from the Telangana and Andhra regions in printmaking, with the Faculty offering Masters in Printmaking. Includes advice. Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara.
how it all started
Gallery owner Lakshmi Nambiar says the exhibition is the result of eight months of planning and implementation. The idea emerged when artist Gayatri Dhanturi, who had worked with noted artist Jyoti Bhatt in Vadodara, came up with the concept of an exhibition showcasing the artists’ works directed by Bhatt.
Lakshmi expanded the idea to recognize and celebrate the influence of university teachers on artists from Telangana and Andhra. Having hosted the late KG Subramanian during his visit to Hyderabad for an exhibition a few years ago and witnessing his interactions with the city’s stalwart artists who were his students, Lakshmi became aware of the exchange of ideas across generations between the institute and the artists. Were. ,
The process of shortlisting artists and artworks began after curator Deeksha Nath came on board. “Initially we were not limited to the medium,” says Lakshmi. The list of artistes from Telugu-speaking regions who have trained in Vadodara is very long. Printmaking, which is not celebrated enough in the art galleries of Hyderabad, seemed an interesting focal point.
our own fireAn engraving by Ghulam Mohammed Shaikh Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
In her curatorial note, Deeksha Nath points out that the Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University, established in 1950, and its Graphic Arts department was one of the first in India to provide teachers for printmaking methods such as intaglio, lithography, Was equipped. Relief printing, serigraphy and photography. Since the 1960s, there has been a steady influx of artists from Andhra and Telangana who have trained in Vadodara.
The exhibition attempts to explain to the audience the artistic expressions that initially emerged from global art history movements and were ultimately shaped by Indian traditional and contemporary practices.
four masters
The exhibition, arranged clockwise from the gallery entrance, begins with a celebration of distinguished faculty members and moves on to other artists.
KG Subramanian’s lithographs, etchings and a digital print from 1981 to 2012 show changes in his artistic expression, even as he combined the principles of European modernism and traditional Indian art forms. One of his signature styles is the use of contrasting imagery of dark and light as he focuses on women, children and animals, often placing them in reflective states.
The female face is a recurring image in Jyoti Bhatt’s work, used as part of complex artworks. One carving called Mayuri depicts a woman with swastika-shaped symbols, birds, a dog and a floral vine. Some of his artworks in Srishti from the 1960s till date reflect his myriad styles as he has drawn inspiration from rural art forms in Kolam Forms and the play of light and shadow in his work titled Shadows in 1961. This work predates his entry into active photography in 1967; Bhatt is one of the founding members of the Center of Photography in Vadodara.
Self-portrait, painted by Jyoti Bhatt in 1971 Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Ghulam Mohammed Shaikh’s carvings are his commentary on urban living spaces, rendered with intricate layers with an eye on minute details. Rini Dhumal’s linocut and woodcut prints celebrate the female form, sometimes portraying her as a goddess – powerful and compassionate – alluding to power.
Giants’ signature style
After handing over its responsibility to the teachers of printmaking in Vadodara, the exhibition moves on to display the works of eminent artists. P Gauri Shankar’s holographs showcase his artistic style that leans towards abstraction, while allowing the viewer to discern the figurative meanings of human forms and landscapes. Laxma Gaur’s carvings are examples of her exploration of sexuality in a rural context.
Devraj Dakoji’s artworks from the 1960s to his 2019 work The Wheel of Life reflect his skill in exploring themes related to nature and interspersed with aquatic forms, horses and wheels representing the changing times.
DLN Reddy’s woodcut, Tree, on Paperwork exemplifies his ability to depict multiple forms in minute details, while Sudhakar Chippa’s carved Woman in Blue Sari explores humans’ declining interaction with nature in urban habitats.
next generation
Animals, Etching by Bhaskar Chari. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
One of Venkanna’s works is an unabashed exploration of female sexuality, while Bhaskar’s The Charizard Tree represents mass urbanization that occupies lung spaces. Gayatri Dhanturi’s works feature hybrid imagery – combining butterflies and human anatomy – as metaphors for growth, decay and change.
In print, Sogra Khorasani’s large woodcuts are dominated by the color red, which symbolizes red blood cells. Her darkly colored artworks draw attention to violence against women and political turmoil. The work of Jagadish Tammineni, the youngest artist exhibiting in this exhibition, is characterized by distinctive imagination. The use of black and white in Under Control, which depicts a tiger sitting on a table, bathed in brilliant light from a chandelier, shows the artist’s mastery of printmaking.
(Inked Legacies, Linked Geographies is available at Srishti Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad till February 2025)
published – December 17, 2024 04:19 PM IST
