Thota Vaikuntam

Born in 1942, in Boorugupally, in Andhra Pradesh, Thota Vaikuntam took a diploma in painting and a degree in fine arts at the College of Fine Arts, Hyderabad, and also won a fellowship from the MS University of Baroda, where he worked under the tutelage of K.G. Subramanyan. In a career that has spanned nearly 30 years, he has been regarded as the most prominent figurative painter living today. He has won several awards, his paintings are a part of several renowned collections and his works have been exhibited widely.

Using powerful images of Telangana women, rather redefining them, and is accountable for taking them all over the globe; he elucidates and embodies the rich meaning of feminine beauty.  However, the eroticism in his protagonists appears very subtle and merely suggestive.

The flowing ‘line’ of Vaikuntam has a paranormal quality signifying both form and dimensions. Moreover, he deliberately converts it into volume and into one of decorative motif to cater his energetic space. His endeavors appear to be, to create, bring a serenity of character and harmony between an imaginative concept and his technical expertise.

The man of vibrant spaces, Thota Vaikuntam, one of the senior artists of Hyderabad inaugurated a show titled Tryst with Telangana, which comprised the works of young and eminent artists of Hyderabad at Sarjan Art Gallery, Baroda. When Anand Gdapa confronted him with his first question, the immediate response was strategic, yet self-contradictory.

AG: Let me put it directly that, your ‘language’ is too much ‘formalistic’, decorative and stereotypical. So, where do you locate yourself in changing paradigms of ‘representation’?
TV: I think, as an artist one has to be true to oneself, his personal experience and expression. I have always given importance to ‘formalistic’ values in a work of art. The sinuous lines and dots in the saree of ‘Telangana women’, the exuberant colours and earthy skin tones are very much part of my nostalgic childhood and I remain bound to it.  As an artist, I have never found it compulsory to avoid the decorative. In fact, I have always welcomed it as a fundamental part of our culture. We all are decorative by nature. Men or women, we love to decorate ourselves with ornaments, with flowers, with clothes, bindis, and cosmetics that are how women in Telangana dress, with dazzling saris and blouses. Well, there are others, who lean towards conceptual understanding of art, which I do not negate. Whatever it may, be these are only dissimilar ways of looking at things.
 

AG: Who were your close companions in Baroda school of arts?
 TV: There were few but very affectionate. Among them, Mr. Hemendra Bhatt, Mr. Rohit Zaveri, Mr.P.D. Dhumal and Mrs. Rini Dhumal were very close to me, we had great time. There was a kind of ‘hippy culture’; we used to have a great fun. I did really enjoy my stay in Baroda. Mr. Jyothi Bhatt would guide me quite often; he used to be very helpful, well-composed and dignified person.

This untitled work of T.Vaikuntam sold for Rs 46 lakhs in an auction by Saffronart. (ఇంకా…)