Anjani Reddy Artist

Artist Anjani Reddy born in 1951, captures emotions and innocence of womendressed in colourful and traditional Indian attire in her canvases. Having completed her diploma in Painting from JNT University, Hyderabad, she started giving meaning to the voice of women through her paintings. She choosesregular woman as her subject, either busy in day to day chores or having a dialogue with nature or recalling lost childhood or bubbling in festivities with fellow women and family. Her wedding series, illustrating the Indian marriage ceremonies was full of vibrant hues and cheerful spirits. She has been awarded Raja Ravi Verma Samman for her alluring artworks. She has exhibited her works across many nations.

Laxma Goud –An urban artist with a rural canvas

Every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up – Pablo Picasso

For Laxma Goud, staying an artist wasn’t too hard as he always carried his childhood and its imagery in his heart. Ask the master artist what inspires his artwork and he will take you down his memory lane when he was a child in a rustic setup and narrate the vivid evocations of his village in Telangana and its residents. Although, he is in his 70s, his enthusiasm for art is as fascinating as that of a 7-year-old.An impulsive artist who can work with many mediums and materials has a style that is unpredictableand eccentric. His art has abucolic flavour blended with organic hues and rustic expressions.

Born in Nizampur in 1940s, young Laxma Goud spent most of his time imbibing the rural spirit, be it watching folklores about Indian mythology enacted by ordinary villagers suddenly transforming into larger than life characters or rearing of animals his father owned or walking through green meadows bare foot or discerning the relaxed country dwellers chatting under the tree. Having noticed young Laxma Goud’s keen sense of observation and immense curiosity to learn art, his father encouraged him to pursue what he adored, instead of pushing him to excel in his formal studies.  After his schooling in Nizampur, his father accompanied him to Government college of fine arts and architecture, Hyderabad to study diploma in drawing and painting, where he made his parents proud by topping the class. He eventually went ahead to study Printmaking in prestigious M S University, Baroda, it was here that he learnt the art of playing with myriad mediums and styles. His mentor K G Subramanyan inspired him to make indigenous work by flipping through his environmentand encouraged him to work with different mediums. He learnt to use oils, acrylic, water colours, pen, colour pencils, etching,gouache, glass painting or terracotta, bronze, clay for making sculptures, all so effortlessly. After concluding his studies, he surprised everybody by going back to his homeland, he stayed close to his village and drew inspiration from the never-ending stimulus that encapsulated him. However, to make the ends meet he worked as a graphic designer in Doordarshan Kendra, until his art got recognized. He later got invited for setting up a post-graduate Fine arts college, which is now called Sarojini Naidu school of Performing Arts, Fine Arts & Communication, where he retired as a Dean.

Laxma’s art has an inimitable sense of passion attached to his village, every inch of his canvas exudes rich heritage, penchants, flaws and fondness of his people and place. He is known for his libidinal and surreal work of art, often reflecting the casual and organic mindsets of rural air. However, his lascivious images took some time for acceptance by the urban art-lovers says the artist.According to the artist beauty is not in the physicality, but in the inner sanctum of a person which is why many of his artworkshighlight sunburnt women working tirelessly to make a living. Most of his images reflectstrong women as his subject playing a role of a workhand, lover, goddess, mother or even nature often seen with a partner or vegetation or with domestic animals emphasising the earthiness of this rustic milieu.His early artworks were monochromic in nature drawn using pen or by etching, however with time his art evolved into colourful expressions. His art is poetic which can flow in anyway or in any direction like a breath of fresh air. Being an amazing sculptor, he has created many creative pieces of art, bejewelled women or tribal men are often seen coming to life through his craftmanship. However, his biggest sculpture by far is ‘Torana’ or a welcome archmade using ceramic clay which adores a studio in Jaipur, here he used several textures, colours and gestures to bring out the domestic warmthof Indian culture.

Being an artist of international acclaim whose career spans five decades and counting, he has travelled the length and breadth of the globe to exhibit his work. He has a permanent gallery in Peabody Museum in Boston, USA. During his expedition he had an opportunity to behold the art and crafts of several nations and was awestruck by the immense resemblance of craftmanship between various countries including his own land India, which lulled him to believe that art has no boundary or distinct language.This rejuvenated the artist in him to create more works like ever.He believes that an artist must continue to be an artist and toil towards producing original workswhether it sells for big bucks or not.He isbeingbestowed with plethora of awards both at home and abroad along with the prestigious Padma shri awardfor his contribution towards art.“For any artist, awards don’t mean anything. People work hard to achieve something in their respective fields, but in the end, what remains is the love of the people who admire my work” says the humble artist. It would be right to say that Laxma is an artist of the world and his life is indeed a message to all,that an unfailing desire to excel with a never-ending passion to work can take one afar.

Sai Ratna Manjari

Thota Vaikuntam - Contemporary Indian Artist

The bold, bright and beautiful canvases of artist Thota Vaikuntam can transfer a city dweller into the earthy air of countryside. The saree clad dusky women donning the coin sized signature bright bindisin his paintings portray the strong and fearless lasses of his land Telangana. Born in Burugupalli of Karimnagar district, he was inspired by theatrical performances enacted by ordinary men in vibrant outfits, and wished to be an artist someday. He went to Hyderabad’s College of Fine Arts and Architecture, and opened a whole new colourful world for himself through discussions and learning. He later went to M S University, Baroda where he started re-defining his style by sticking to his rustic roots.His early years of art-making mostly had him use charcoal, but with time he experimented with pencil drawing, partial coloration, transparent washes and later started using acrylic and oil on canvas. He has exhibited his work across the length and breadth of the world and has many awards to his share including aNational award, Hyderabad Arts Society award and a Bharat Bhavan Biennale Award for his work as an artist. He has also worked as an art director for several Telugu movies including Daasi that earned him a National award as a best art director.Although, his paintings have evolved over the years in size and medium, the mood of his artwork has never changed despite all the modernisation of the society including his own village.

Gundu Anjaneyulu - Famous Indian Artist

Hyderabad based Artist GunduAnjaneyulu’s artwork gives meaning to old and ignored objects that are seldom paid attention to. His stilllife paintings are often mistaken for photographs, for he captures every miniscule detail of his subject with absolute care, on his canvas. Born in a small village called Garidepally in Nalgonda district of Telangana, he grew up seeing the battered shawl and rusted canister in his grandfather possessions, who treasured it dearly. This inspired him to pay heed to these mundane objects in his surroundings. After his schoolings, he started helping his brother paint signboards. He later stumbled upon JNT University of Fine Arts, Hyderabad and pursued his BFA degree. Since then he has been continuing to produce good work and has exhibited his work extensively in India and across many countries, which received critical acclaim and hasearned him many patrons.

Laxma Goud – Modern Indian Artist

The ever-enthusiastic artist Laxma Goud is known for his libidinal and surreal work of art, often reflecting the casual and organic mindsets of rural folks he has grown up with. Born in Nizampur in 1940s, he was influenced by folklores and rustic air, which is vividly noticed in his canvases. After completing his schoolings, he went to Government college of fine arts and architecture, Hyderabad to study diploma in drawing and printing. He eventually went ahead to study Printmaking in prestigious M S University, Baroda, it was here that he learnt the art of playing with myriad mediums and styles. His mentor K G Subramanyan inspired him to make indigenous work by staying close to his roots and encouraged him to work with different mediums. Being a versatile artist, he can work with oils, acrylic, water colours, pen, colour pencils, etching,gouache, glass painting or terracotta, bronze, clay for making sculptures, all so effortlessly.He served as a dean to now Sarojini Naidu school of Performing Arts, Fine Arts & Communication. He has a permanent gallery in Peabody Museum in Boston, USA. He is being bestowed with plethora of awards both at home and abroad along with the prestigious Padma Shri award for his contribution towards art. With career spanning 50 years, he has exhibited his work across the world, but his simplicity and child-like vigour to create exquisite paintings and sculptures always brings him back to his studio.

Indian Artist - K.G Subramanyan Paintings

K. GSubramanyan’s life is an effigy of humility,flair,multitaskingandknowledge sharing, who has left a legacy of artand its narrative, that would continue to influence and enlighten a generation and many generations to come. Being born in an era of Gandhi, he had witnessed the struggles of pre and post-independent India, which are vividly narrated in his artworks. His art also reflects Indian folklores and Hindu deities, often projected as ordinary beings in his canvases.When his participation in freedom struggle barred him from continuing his studies in Presidency College, Madras back in 1944; he chanced upon an opportunity to study art in Kala Bhavan, Shantiniketan under the tutelage of Nandalal Bose and RamkinkerBaij. He later went to study Printmaking in Slade School of Art, London under the guidance of famous English artist Ben Nicholson, after receiving a British Council Fellowship. In 1958 he became the deputy director of Handloom Board in Mumbai. He also served as a professor and Dean in M S University, Barodainfluencing many budding artists. Being a versatile artist, he could work with many medium and material including acrylic, crayon, pencil, ball point pen, marker, water colours, oils, plastic, terracotta, lithography, etching, textilesor even reverse painting on glass and acrylic. He received country’s highest civilian awards,Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan andPadma Vibhushan for his contributions towards Indian art by Government of India and aKalidasSamman from Govt. of Madhya Pradesh.

Jyoti Bhatt Paintings In Hyderabad

Jyoti Bhatt, anenthusiastic artist, efficient printmaker and phenomenal photographer hails from Bhavnagar, Gujarat. Hestudied Painting and Printmaking from Faculty of Fine Arts, M. S. University, Baroda, where he served as a teacher later in life. He went ahead to study Mural and Fresco painting from Vanasthali Vidyapith, Rajasthan and eventually studied at Academia Di Belle Arti, Italy and Pratt Institute, New York. He was one of the few Indian artists to practice and propagate Intaglio printmakingin India. He is known for his etching, intaglio and screenprints, which are often the projection of Indian folklores and culture that are lost in time.His photographs are the evergreen documentation of rural and tribal Indiaand the reflection of its slowly disappearing folk art and its rustic makers.He has recently started exploring holographyand digital printing.With career spanning 60 years, Jyoti Bhatt exhibited his works across the country and the world. He has been bestowed with many awards including a Life Time Achievement Award – distinguished Photo artist of the year 2005. He currently lives and works in Baroda.