Nandini, daughter of artist Laxma Goud, is ‘back on the walls’
Nandini Goud with her work at her residence
At the opening of the first ever Hyderabad Art Fair, the community was delighted to see the return of the works of one artist — Nandini Goud. The daughter of senior and renowned artist, Laxma Goud, had been keeping a low profile for years. So her work making way into a gallery was a genuine surprise.
For the artist, it has been a sort of self exile and path to rediscovery. “I have been busy with my two children – Manu and Manasi — who are in classes X and VII respectively,” she says, adding, “But art continues to be a huge part of my daily routine. I spend, at least, two hours only on art despite personal pressures.”
The last few years have been a roller coaster ride for the 47-year-old. From her mother’s health to dealing with arthritis herself among other personal problems.
“Every day changes me,” she says. “Every experience adds up. When I was younger, I was so fascinated by the masters like Picasso, that I would adopt those expressions. Now, when I compare my earlier works with what I am creating today, I can declare — this is Nandini Goud,” she adds.
While she recounts her days studying BFA and then post-graduation in printmaking from the Baroda School of Fine Arts as “exciting”, her real life training and love for masters like Picasso came to her in childhood from her father.
“Every summer, we would visit our native village and my dad would ask me to sketch and sketch. There was this cow shed there that I would draw all the time,” she recalls.
Laxma Goud is still a huge part of his daughter’s art. Her first and only solo show, held in Chennai last year, was curated by Laxma. And from the reviews of the show, one could ascertain that the senior artist put aside his emotional connect with the child and dealt with absolute professionalism in the selection of the works.
Nandini is known for her naïve art stylisation — characterised by an almost childlike simplicity in technique. And her daughter has been a “huge inspiration”.
“My subjects remain my surroundings. But I have moved on to exploring illustrations for story books. My daughter has helped me discover this side of art.”
But right now, life is hard for Nandini, mostly because the art market is slow. And there are some regrets as well about not meeting the demands of her clientele over the last few years. “Over the last two years, I got a lot of orders. I promised them I would do it but I couldn’t because of all the things I have been going through. Now, I feel really bad about letting them go,” says Nandini.
“But I am going to continue focusing on my art and not worry too much about galleries and shows. Let’s see what life draws for me.”
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