THOTA THARRANI’S Timeline – The Evolution of Perception
“To me, art is devotion. A compulsion. It’s the soul of my very existence. Not a day passes by without me painting …”
As far as his creative impulses are concerned, Thota Tharrani has never hit the pause button in a career spanning four-and-a-half decades. The scale, scope and professional sweep of his works traverse a range of styles, mediums and themes, making the task of putting together a definitive tribute a difficult one.
In “THOTA THARRANI: Timeline – The Evolution of Perception”, the prolific painter attempts to retrace his creative steps by picking out some career-defining canvases from the 1960s to the present day. The selection is about time-lines and trend-setting masterstrokes that have helped the artist establish his own space in the rarefied world of art.
Lines, strokes and colours subtly took possession of Tharrani’s visual memory ever since he was a child. At the age of 12 he contributed a rich body of work to the Madras Art Club. The encouragement he received from the “masters of the golden era” spurred him to go about his painterly pursuits without a break. He joined the Government College of Arts and Crafts and later took specialized training in Fresco in Rajasthan and studied printmaking under S. W. Hayter, at his studio, “Atelier-17” in Paris.
From the powerful sketches of his initial years to his more recent acrylic update on SUMM (his tribute to rural Rajasthan), this is a look at his magnificent oeuvre. The propulsive nature of his strokes and the energy-generating colour dynamics are the essence of his visual idiom. Showcased is a selection from “Force”, “Symphony”, “Ganesha”, “Script Series” and “Rajasthan.” The latest – Tharrani’s take on Texas, as part of his series on “USA Through the eyes of an Indian artist”, also features in this comprehensive selection.
Though Tharrani believes in stylistic consistency, he also loves to flout categorizations and plunge into experiments now and then. His “Script Series”, explores calligraphy as a form of creative expression. “I was fascinated by the beauty of the alphabet in different languages. They lend themselves so well to works of art.”
Famous for his abstracts, Tharrani’s “Force”, “Symphony” and “Symphony of Life” not only reflect the energy of his brush, they also bring out the subconscious components that he infuses into his works, thereby making them worthy of recall. In “Force”, a visual recap of a cyclone he witnessed from his window, the artist uses savage brush strokes to depict Nature’s fury. The “Symphony” series is an abstract expression of the orchestration of Western classical music. With blotches of colour and a dramatic line in black running through, the artist pays tribute to awe-inspiring notes from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite.” “Western orchestras are an elaborate affair. There are notes emanating from a hundred instruments at the same time. I pick out notes that stimulate me, interpret the sounds and the mood with my own visual language.”
Over the years, the artist has revisited his themes time and again to add fresh interpretations to them. “Different moods inspire different strokes. The pastoral beauty of Rajasthan and the majesty of our gods and goddesses are a constant on my mind. So it’s natural that I revisit these themes as a creative respite from occasional bouts boredom.” There are recurring motifs too – like the peacock or the cycle. “These are reflective of fluidity and movement.”
The many times National Award winning set designer believes that his film work and artistic vocation complement each other. “It’s rewarding to be involved with the two. I guess my flair for scale, light and colour comes from my experience with designing true-to-life sets for films.” Not surprising that the words “big, bold and bright” are fundamental to Tharrani’s visual idiom. There’s a network of impact-making earthy and Indian tones and an inimitable play of geometry and intrepid lines. Even his spirited excursions with themes revolving around gods and goddesses stand out for their creative exuberance.
By presenting a judicious selection from his ever-evolving, never-retreating compendium, Tharrani invites art-lovers to experience the visual mechanics of his work up-close in this single show. From his celebrated abstracts and awe-inspiring water colours, spur-of-the-moment oil paintings and interesting mixed media works to spontaneous pen-and-ink drawings and black-and-white sketches, the repertoire is remarkable.
“Having juggled two lives for 45 years, I must confess, it’s not been easy. I’ve been set-hopping by day and painting by night. Art rejuvenated me after frenetic film schedules. It also supported me monetarily during those trying times in the fickle film world. It has, and will remain a constant in my life…”
Thota Tharrani Arts sets Gallery
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Thota Tharrani Arts sets Photo Gallery
