"USTAV"
Anthiyur Venkatraman Ilango had a very tranquil childhood, spent in the verdant fields of South India, in sharp contrast to the hectic urban life he has today.
These langurous long days were punctuated by the excitement generated by the festivals celebrated around the temple in his village.
The "Utsav" series of paintings is a consequence of his recollections of those days.
"Utsav" means celebration, alluding to the festivities during the ceremonial rituals normally revolving around the temples. Dancers and drummers, in all their finery, would move to a divine beat. The revelry would be heraled by dancers and drummers moving from the outskirts of the village, leading up to the temple. Percussion instruments 'thaare' and 'thambatte' along with the drums, accented by the heavy anklets, created the dances and performances like 'kaavadi, karagam, puliattam, oyilattam, poikaal, kuthiraiand nayali melam'.
The sound, the colour, the movement, the excitement was stamped on a young Ilango's mind.
Drawing from this wealth of memories, Ilango has done these paintings in his personal visual idiom. The background is minimalist with details supplanted by planes of colour and featured profiles changed to flat shapes indicating the facial features. The forms have an energetic fluidity showing dynamic movement.
The ethnic folk element is Ilango's foremeost inspiration, with form and line being drawn from several sources such as Marapachi dolls, Ayanar temple figures, folk dancers. His main concern is the arrangement of the figures in the picture plane. Brilliant hues are in keeping with the vigour of the rising and falling lines. Streamlined figures in blurred movements with the all-important vacillating line that infuses power into the composition.
Speaking of his signature line in reference to his previous series, Ilango says "When it sits quietly it is the bull, when it is seductive it is the woman, when it moves to a rhythm it becomes the dancer, drawn separately it can create the music of a drummer".
Put together it is an "UTSAV", a celebration.
Come celebrate with us.
Opening reception March 6th, 6.30 pm onwards.
Show continues till April 7th.
Gallery hours 11 am to 7 pm [except Sundays]
