"Every artist was first an amateur"
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Vaman Pai’s journey is that similar to the Rising like the Phoenix. Born, and having lived most of his life in the quaint yet artistic town of North Karnataka, formerly North Canara, Vaman’s initial stint into art was stuff that one dreams of. He was handpicked by one of Karnataka’s greatest artist ever, GS Shenoy, who incidentally happened to be from the same region where Pai originated from. Impressed by his professionalism and artistic approach, GS Shenoy taught him the nuances of art whom, Vaman considers as his first “guru.” While Guru Shenoy inspired him to paint, it was another “guru” who eased him back to Bengaluru. This time it was GS Shenoy’s son Gurudas Shenoy who gave Vaman the opportunity as assistant curator under India’s greatest modernist painter ever, MF Husain for his studio-cum-gallery Husain Sankalana in Koramangala. This opportunity opened a new world for Pai, but his biggest gainer was working with the legendary artist himself. Day in and day out, along with Gurudas who was the curator of Husain Sankalana, Vaman recollects how he witnessed incredible workmanship of MF Husain.
MF Husain for his studio-cum-gallery Husain Sankalana in Koramangala.
The demise of GS Shenoy did hit him hard and soon after in 2006, Husain Sankalana closed doors. Vaman went back to his roots, Manipal and decided to take up painting seriously. From the coastal town of Manipal, which is ideally an artist’s paradise, Vaman looked at Manipal and the coastal areas in an artistic way. If that was not enough, his zest to become a trueblue painter made him start painting with landscapes, and also try his hand at abstracts, for which he credits his guru. When one sees his works, it is evident that his colours draw inspiration from GS Shenoy. His colours are subtle and soothing.
The landscapes are mainly from the coastal belt of Karnataka celebrating the coastal flavour. Vaman reveals, “Through my work, I wanted people to celebrate tranquility and peace of the region I live in. These days, we get very busy looking around concrete jungles. I feel our region has somehow been neglected which is why I got inspired and continued to paint landscapes. Both GS Shenoy and Gurudas have been a big influence in my life. I thank them for supporting me always.”
— The show was supported by Bangalore Art Foundation and Lalit Kala Akademi Karnataka, and concluded this week. The writer is an art expert and curator.
