At 74, Jayanth Manda still prefers colours over retirement. Often called a trendsetter, he has been the carrier of major influences from the Indian contemporary cultural confluence. His paintings are visual manifestations of his emotional experiences.
His skillful handling of the medium to express the same leaves a lasting impression on the minds of the viewers. Colours of Change The 15 frames in the collection at the Icon Art Gallery take one on a journey of Jayanth’s life and experiennces.
“I chose the title Colours of Change because it’s an emotional outburst on the canvas. All that I have experienced in life, happy or sad, falling into a range of rich and varied experiences have been captured on these canvases,” explains Jayanth and further adds, “It is an indirect expression of whatever mood I am going through at that point of time. Since my area of specialisation is abstract expression, my colour scheme is wide.” A person’s state of mind can always be related to a colour.
For instance yellow is often significant of happiness and red agitation. Similarly, for Jayanth, vibrant strokes with bright colours show the happy phase of his life, fierceful ones portray agitation, while soft and light strokes show a pleasant phase.
“For me abstraction is always with total freedom, with free flow of colours and free flow of energies. I try to bring about this particular element in every art piece of mine. There should be no restriction at all,” he elaborates.
The scope of abstract art is not limited to one form of expression. Every artists has his own signature style when it comes to this form of art. So, what makes Jayanth’s paintings different from that of his counterparts? “In my paintings, I like a lot of yellow or shades of orange.
I love the sunset, as it brings back memories happy and sad. It exactly reflects what’s going on in my mind,” Though, like the other artists he began with the more conventional figurative art form, over the years his work has matured into a more fluid state.
He tries to create an all new world through his paintings, wherein the observer is in the same emotional state as the artist himself.
“My paintings should communicate with my viewer through the medium of colour and form. I believe that the principal of visual art now needs creative expression in order to retain the authenticity and promote the art form,” he explains.
The colourful journey Born in Hyderabad in 1939, Jayanth started off with his preliminary practice in drawing and painting at the local school level.
He then joined Sir J J School of Arts, Mumbai and obtained a diploma in painting in the year 1964.
He then went on to study 'Mural techniques' at the faculty of Fine Arts, M S University, Baroda, in 1967. He held many solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions at all the major cities of India.
An active member of DISHA – a creative artists group which projects the contemporary social situation in India, Jayanth’s paintings revolved exclusively around social messages. He was also conferred a doctorate in 'Television Communication and role of Indian Culture' in 2003, from the Osmania University Hyderabad and became a guest faculty 'Communication and Journalism' at the the University in 2003.
The art exhibition will remain on display till August 30 at the Icon Art Gallery, Road No 12, Banjara Hills, from 11:30 am to 7 pm.
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