Decoding the Madras Art Movement

Little is known about the Madras Art Movement. During the colonial era, quite a few important artists had emerged from Mumbai and Kolkata who played a significant role in the history of Indian fine arts. But a similar process, which took place between 1960-1980, brought modernism in South India.  

Kala Ghoda-based art gallery DAG aims to throw the spotlight on the artists who were the architects of this movement as part of its forthcoming exhibition Madras Modern: Regionalism & Identity. The event, which will be open to the public on July 21, is the first major retrospective of its kind in Mumbai. Curated by art historian and critic, Ashrafi S Bhagat, it showcases 60 paintings and prints along with 15 sculptures. The curator sought inspiration from her PhD thesis, which she had done for MS University, Baroda, on ‘A Critical Study of Modernity in South India, with Particular Reference to the Madras School, the 1960s and 1970s’, for this show. In March 2017, she curated Regional Modernity; Painting and Sculpture, 1960 to 1990, at National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru, and was invited by DAG this year for Madras Modern: Regionalism & Identity. 

KCS PANIKER: THE ARCHITECT OF THE MOVEMENT

KCS Paniker, a student of DP Roy Chowdhury (the first Indian principal of the Madras School of Arts and Crafts, which was established in 1850), is the doyen of this chapter. He not only experimented with modernism but also urged his pupils to look into the rich treasure trove of tradition and heritage to give their works a strong indigenous flavour. The exhibition highlights this aspect as well as showcases the significance of South Indian narrative in the works of artists and sculptors like J Sultan Ali, L Munuswamy, S Dhanapal, RB Bhaskaran, P Gopinath, PV Jankiram and S Nandagopal. It also depicts the role played by women artists in the Madras Art Movement.

An untitled work by J Sultan Ali

Ashrafi says, “KS Paniker initiated this ideology of nativism among his students and fellow artists. He prompted them to ask themselves, ‘Why we should look towards the West to seek inspiration for the visual language? Why can’t we go back in our tradition, rejuvenate it, reinvent it and represent it through the artist’s modern sensibilities.’ That is how he was able to debate, argue and discuss all these issues at the College of Arts and Crafts where he had a core bunch of students who were intelligent, sensitive and very much aware of what was happening in the country. They were able to pick up Paniker’s ideas and translate them into their paintings. That is how it acquired this regional distinction.”

She adds, “If you look at the Colonial period, there were quite a few important artists emerging from Mumbai or Kolkata, but no one has ever heard of any artist from the South except Roy Chowdhury and Panicker. But it was the latter who, in his pedagogy, brought in the awareness of modern Western art into the curriculum. That is how he pushed his students into not just creating academic work but also begin to be a little more innovative. And that is how he was able to give a new direction to his students’ creativity. It enhances the modernity of the region itself and adds a dimension to the visual language that was developed by all these artists.”

An untitled work by K Ramanujam

Figurative and abstract were the preferred visual language of the artists of this movement, mentions Ashrafi.

She reveals that curating the show wasn’t too difficult as her research came in handy but admits that as an art historian and critic, working on this exhibition has been immensely satisfying. “I am glad that I have been able to bring artists of the Madras art movement in the visible public domain. People will become aware that such important, iconic artists were part of this chapter. They will finally get the recognition that they deserved,” she signs off.

The exhibition opens to the public on July 21 at DAG, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai.