“What moves men of genius, or rather what inspires their work, is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough.” — Eugene Delacroix
Speaking about the most prominent names of all-time great artists from the south, SG Vasudev’s name will feature on all lists. Such is the popularity of SG Vasudev that there is a generation of young artists who have looked up to and modelled their artwork around him. What sets SG Vasudev apart from his contemporaries is his sheer class and versatility. Be it oils or tapestry, he is a class act. The seamless ease in which he jumps from one medium to another has been a revelation. Though some of his most commanding works are oils, he has been an artist who experimented and explored various spectrums. When A Return to ‘Sama’, his long-awaited retrospective exhibition opens at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru, on September 1, 2018, there’s a treat for all art lovers in store.
The works on display, produced over a 55-year period between 1962 and 2017, will include all four mediums he works in: Paintings, drawings, reliefs in copper and tapestries in silk. SG Vasudev has been an artist who has always chosen themes that resonate with his beliefs. From Maithuna, Vriksha (Tree of Life), Tree of Life & Death, Humanscapes, Earthscape and, Theatre of Life and Rhapsody, there are many themes the legend has explored. Born in Mysore and raised in Bengaluru, Vasudev studied art at the Government College of Fine Arts in Chennai, the most seasoned and oldest art institution in India. He started his career at the unique Cholamandal Artists’ Village, of which he is a founder-member alongside his ‘guru’ KCS Paniker. Cholamandal was an experiment in community living and co-existing which intended to empower artists to pursue art unhindered by the demands and restrictions of regular mundane jobs.
Sadanand Menon, the curator of the retrospective elaborates, “The retrospective of any artist who has consistently been at work for over five decades, is no longer about the artist per se. It also becomes the narrative of a nation, a region, a school, a style.’’
SG Vasudev has always been a part of several firsts in the city like the Ananya Drishya and Art Park Bengaluru a unqiue initiative to promote art. This retrospective brings together, the many different strands of Vasudev’s interests and work. There will be around 300 works comprising drawings, paintings, copper reliefs and tapestries, and is a fitting tribute to the legend.
The exhibition is on till September 30 at the NGMA. The writer is an art
expert and curator.
The Artist speaks
How accomplished do you feel as an artist?
I have to learn a lot more, which I am still doing, day after day. There is no end or accomplishment for a creative mind.
That one moment that transformed your life?
Getting away from science to art; when I joined art school to learn drawing and painting skills.
How important is it to have a core group of like-minded painters to succeed?
One does not need a group to succeed. Discussions and conversations are important with like-minded artists, though.
Your role model or someone who had a deep impact to your growth?
My teacher, guru, father figure, guide, and philosopher KCS Paniker.
