Magical Realism Of A. Ramachandran

Uma Nair

Ramachandran at NGMA Bangalore is to be part of a chapter in the life of a Modern Master who has one eye on Renaissance and another on the power of experience. Defined by knowledge, a rich perspective of mythology, drawn from great Indian epics, the paintings of this master mentor belong to the fields of fantasy in the figures he creates except his own and we see an artist whose firmament is fixed firmly in the here and now, as he enjoys weaving in subtle cynicism, wry humour and references to social, political and cultural conundrums in modern India. Stories from Mahabharata, such as the death of Bhishma, assume a mischievous edge: we encounter a self-portrait of the artist instead of the dying royal, slumbering on a bed of arrows and surrounded by flowers and fish. Mind you when he creates a self portrait the limbs and the form have perfect masculine proportions and you can gaze at this being for a long while.