Poetry in nature

A graceful rural Indian woman carrying an earthen pot surrounded by the beauty of nature reaches out to pluck a fruit from a tree — a simple painting by artist A. Ramachandran that creates the magic of visual poetry.

In his recent exhibition “Earthen Pot — Image Poems 2016”, he is showcasing 21 drawings that displays his strong command over lines, colours and forms. “Three motifs recur predominantly in my coloured drawings — the tree and the vitality of nature and a self-portrait of me as if enveloped inside the womb of the earthen pot; and the woman as the central figure,” explains Ramachandran.

The series explores various moods of nature while talking about two subjects — fertility and memory — through landscape, which is the central theme of the show. The central figure of the woman is again a reference to and a derivation from his earlier works as the symbol of fertility, while different kinds of birds and creatures also add to the mystery of the works.

The Padma Bhushan awardee says, “My works are self-explanatory, I don’t like to explain my work. Once we explain, nothing is left for the viewer. This show is a series of watercolours that read like poems. I have used juxtapositions of many motifs in my work just as a poet uses words in his poems. They have layers of meanings and it is for the viewers to discover them.”

He continues, “I was born and brought up in a place where nature played a pivotal role in almost every activity of life. Nature has been the source material for every art activity in the world from time immemorial. My training in Santiniketan further consolidated my motivation to learn from nature.”

Spanning over five decades, his work includes sculptures, watercolours, ink and colour drawings, miniature paintings, and illustrations for children’s books, stamps, ceramics and writings. Primarily known for his massive mural-like oil paintings with influence of the colours and forms of the murals in Kerala temples, Ramachandran talks about the chosen medium of expression for this exhibition, and says, “As an artist, I do not make any distinction between various mediums because there is no caste system in it. The quality of a work of art is not determined by the medium but the seriousness of the artist and how he has utilised it as a self-expression.”

Initially, he followed an expressionist style reflecting the angst of the prevailing urban life. His themes underwent a major change after his visit to a tribal community based in Rajasthan in the 1980s. In this watercolour series also the viewers could see the influence of this tribe, points out Ramachandran. “As an artist, I am a proverbial gazer which gives me the chance to register images of men, women, flora, fauna, landscapes as well as changing seasons and store them in my mind as a reference library,” he explains.

His teacher Ram Kinkar Baij once told him to go out and draw from nature. It became an addiction, now he carries a sketchbook and a pen with him always, shares the 81-year-old artist and adds, “For an artist, his experience of collecting images from his surroundings and conceptualising them as visual motifs is by far the most important part of his creativity. It also serves as the storehouse of his source materials.”

The zeal to produce a work that not only is appreciated but also provides self-satisfaction is what keeps him going. “For an artist there is no end of explorations and experimentations. I remember a story about a famous Japanese artist who at the age of 96 had the zeal to create better works if only he could live 10 more years,” he concludes.