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JM Subramani’s paintings that were spattered and smeared with touches of pastoral life have left a lasting imprint on the cultural fabric of the state of Karnataka and, indeed, the country as a whole. In particular, I’d like to single out his Badami series which were inspired from the hometown of his mentor Hadapad. In the series and his other works, one can see the resonance of his rustic origins through his inner visual statements, ideas, perceptions and concepts. The observations were sifted through the mind’s eye, which later took shape in the form of a coherent work of art.Acclaimed artist JM Subramani (or Mani as he was affectionately called) was born in Bangalore in 1949. He started his art education under the apprenticeship of RM Hadapad, the founder of the school at Kuvempu Kala Sanstha, Ken School of Art, in 1974, where he completed his Diploma in Drawing and Painting. He served as an educator in his alma mater and retired as the Principal in 2007. In JMS Mani’s art we see the assimilation of forms and visual demarcations, while the cropped spaces manifest untold interpretations that can change the perception of the onlooker. We see calming and unwavering portrayals in his work, as in the body language of the Mother and Child series or variations in the picturesque, abstract representations of nature. Leo Tolstoy said, “Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of the feeling the artist has experienced.” In Mani’s work we see conceptions of the substitute realm of frameworks from Hampi and his reflections on nature, monuments and characterizations of mountains and peaks where Mani invites the viewer to dwell imaginatively in the layers of defined and altered territories, boundaries or precincts.Mani would always reach out in a spirit of simplicity and identify with, for instance, an agrarian with typical Dravidian facial features carrying out simple, domestic chores like making garlands. He had a deep sensitivity for the countryside and the rural folk of the Deccan plateau in South India and their community life. Many of his paintings illustrate common folk following their daily routine, such as selling fruits and vegetables or in the idle chit-chat of a woman, veiled in a sari with a turbaned man.

The historical location of Badami, as well as the innocence of the people there, who I find very hardworking and honest in all their ways, inspire me to capture their simplicity through my paintings. The simple, rustic folk of the Deccan Plateau in South India, with strong Dravidian (an ancient race in South India) features, are the subjects of J.M.S. Mani's paintings. His art is an amalgamation of Indian culture with Occidental Western.

Genre
Contemporary Art