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Rich tapestry of forms
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The allusion to the Sama Veda provides the focus for the paintings by T. Kaladharan, which are on display at the Vinyasa Art Gallery till August 28.
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T KALADHARAN'S current exhibition of paintings on glass is titled "Making My Abode". The title is reflective of the artist's present condition rather than serving as a title for the series of paintings on display.
Kaladharan uses acrylic and glass paint on sheet glass, painting in the reverse process with what would typically be an artist's final strokes being his first. The entire process of painting in the conventional sense is inverted with the artist seeing from beyond the `canvas'.
Fauvist colours dominate his palette with outlined forms adding exquisite linear detail.
The unyielding lines create a rich and vibrant tapestry of forms enmeshed within the pictorial surface, rising and falling within the picture plane. Forms seem to evolve and emerge from within, subtly hidden yet expressly present.
The cumulative impact of insurgent greens, reds and yellows vying for attention and the simultaneously emerging and retreating figures bond within a nebulous space. The compelling vitality of colour is indubitable and reminiscent of the energetic colours employed in the costumes and make-up of Kathakali performances of the artist's homeland.
After a brief experiment with abstraction, Kaladharan has reverted to working in the figurative idiom where mythological fragments seem to be threaded together with creative imagery. But even in his abstractions, the figures had never really abandoned his paintings.
Kaladharan's most recent works on display have a harmonious quality, an almost musical annotation. They have evolved from his experiences gained from the art direction of the Malayalam movie, "Saamam". The allusion to the Sama Veda provides the focus for these paintings. The Sama Veda, which represents the ecstasy of spiritual knowledge and the power of devotion, contains hymns that are sung according to a set melody. The ubiquitous linear figurations no longer exist as detached from the colour expanses but rather have become intangible part of the same. Luminous colours and figures are the mainstay of his vocabulary with the forms taking on a certain solidity of substance. Colour and line are now married to create form.
The display itself would have benefited from a more selective show of works that could have brought out to better effect the boldness of expression. The exhibition is on at the Vinyasa Gallery, The Music Academy premises, TTK Road, till August 28.
SWAPNA SATHISH
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Bangalore
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