At home with the classics
DEEPA ALEXANDER
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Vijayalakshmi paints scenes from the Indian classics with a rare passion.
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PHOTOS: K. GAJENDRAN.
ROMANTIC INTERLUDES A favourite theme of the artist is painting Krishna and Radha's amorous escapades.
Vijayalakshmi Pilaka's paintings reflect the life and nuances of a seeker. And it's surprising that she sees much of her world from a fourth floor apartment in Somajiguda. In an age of instant gratification and mindless marketing, the unassuming 76-year-old homemaker dabbles in painting equipped only with an innate ability to grasp, assimilate and apply. "I learnt from an older brother who was an artist and being married to one made things easier," she answers softly. "I love painting scenes from the Hindu classics - whether they be miniatures or portraits. I paint mostly in water colours and often use tempera."
The grand old lady paints so well that every government museum in India has her painting. Her paintings adorn calendars and spiritual magazine covers and even her rendering of the vajrakiritam at Tirupati has a place of honour at the T.T.D. office.
Vijayalakshmi's paintings reveal a successful mixture of the traditions she has inherited and her personal understanding of Hindu spirituality. The formal and thematic content of her paintings express a constant wandering into a world of myth, but this is only one facet of her art. Reality is never far from her canvas, executed by the lyricism of the brush and pigment. One look at her masterpieces and you could well be a convert.
"Painting is always on my mind. I don't wait to be inspired to paint. I sketch in pencil, then colour and paint the eyes last. I have tried my hand at murals, bas reliefs, greeting cards and with my late husband, Lakshminarasimhamurthy I worked on the 9th and 10th chapters of the Bhagavatham for our fellowship. My favourite is a miniature of the scene where Rama kills Ravana."
As she hurriedly flips her album to display the miniature, you are stunned by the detail of the scene. The flashing anger in Rama's eyes, the dying defiance in Ravana's and Hanuman's unflinching loyalty all come across clearly. In all her paintings Vijayalakshmi has integrated her subtle but colourful techniques and framing to give her pictures amazing depth. Her strokes have retained the charming simplicity of these stories of yore often with intricate borders.
What stays with you is a certain timeless quality in her paintings. Her myriad Ganeshas and paintings on Radha and Krishna are striking for their sheer depiction. The balance of one, the elegance of another and the shapes of those alluring eyes - rotund or elongated, convey so much. Vijayalakshmi's paintings that now number 500 may soon be seen at an exhibition to be organised shortly. Till then watch this space.
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Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
