Karnataka - Bangalore   

Tribute to an artist captivated by Ajanta murals

Bangalore: He is best remembered for his reproductions of the timeless murals of the Ajanta caves. The late M.S Chandrashekhar, the master water colourist, reproduced panels including the Bodhisattva Padmapani and the birth of Buddha for the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in a project sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

He spent over 25 years in Ajanta, captivated by the frescos, reproducing them diligently, often in near darkness, and rendering the ochre yellows and lapis blues in water colours and oils.

Not surprisingly his paintings have been lapped up by private collectors and also occupy some exalted spaces including the Vidhana Soudha and the Parliament House in New Delhi.

In a tribute to the artist, some of his finest works will be displayed at an exhibition at the Chitrakala Parishat here between May 8 and 14.

The exhibition will be inaugurated at 6 p.m. on May 8 by S.R. Rao, former Deputy Director of ASI.

His daughter Shailaja Ramesh writes of how Mr. Chandrashekhar was essentially an “artist of nature”, who “used to worship trees for their form, shape, colour, texture and tone.”

When he was commissioned to render the Ajanta murals, the task was therefore a new experience for Mr. Chandrashekhar who had to now “shift from the colourful open spaces to the deep interiors of the earth.”

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