A master looks back: Bengaluru to host first-ever SG Vasudev retrospective

BENGALURU: A conversation with SG Vasudev is never only about art. The veteran artist talks about him making film posters in the 70s, dabbling with art direction in Kannada films like Vamsha Vriksha and Samskara, designing covers for UR Ananthamurthy’s books, creating theatre props for Girish Karnad’s plays, collaborating with weavers and craftsmen, teaching young artists and being a civic activist — all with equal enthusiasm.

“A painter must never be confined to his studio. Art is all about working with different people and mediums,” said the 76-year-old Bengalurean. A retrospective on Vasudev, a month-long event to be inaugurated at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) on September 1, will reflect all this and more. Over 300 drawings, paintings, metal art, wood inlay work and tapestries spanning five decades, will be showcased at the event curated by art critic Sadanand Menon. Girish Karnad will open the show.




Themed around his work will be poetry readings by Padmavathi Rao, Mamta Sagar and Prathibha Nandakumar, a dance performance by Madhu Natraj, a Carnatic music concert by Sanjay Subrahmanyan, film screenings and discussions on artistic connections with actor-director Prakash Belawadi, India Foundation for the Arts (IFA)’s Arundhati Ghosh and dancer Miti Desai. Theatre performances are also being planned. Vasudev will give live painting demonstrations as well. This will be the biggest showcase of his works till date, Vasudev said.

His art is largely inspired by flowing lines, trees, nature, human relationships and the circle of life. It connects traditional Karnataka art and craft forms to the Cholamandalam Artists’ Village, which was founded by KCS Paniker and where Vasudev spent the initial years of his career. He was a student at Madras’ Government College of Fine Arts earlier. “At Cholamandalam, I learnt to explore with crafts like metal embossing, batik, copper and ceramics,” he said. “The lines between arts and crafts blur after a point. If you look at the people who built Mahabalipuram and Hampi, for instance, would you call them artists or craftsmen?”

Vasudev has cofounded Ananya Drishya for arts education and conducts monthly events called Artpark Bengaluru for public art accessibility. According to him, being a public intellectual might not have influenced his technique but the experience has enriched his thought process. Going forward with the past and not letting market forces determine his sensibilities or the value of his artwork help him remain relevant, he explained.