The form is bovine alright but this is a cow like no other. The head is small, the udders are large, the body is a varicoloured collage — slashes of oil paint laid with a heavy hand, interspersed by narrow strips of block-printed fabric. The second is more sedate, a ruddy beast that swishes its tail with pleasure as it is caressed by a sexless white figure, also in the frame. Another cow, rendered in fabric and white paint, carries on its broad back an embracing couple, while yet another, a patina-glazed bronze on a wooden base, bears a slender piper.
“We had cows at home and they are part of my childhood memories,” says Singapore-based artist P Gnana who is currently exhibiting his work at Artworld Sarala’s Art Centre, Chennai. He says he watched them everyday and believes they are firmly entrenched in his subconscious as a result. He didn’t think much about it, but suddenly they appeared in his paintings and simply stayed, he says, adding with a sudden grin, “Now even if people don’t know my name, they know me as the artist who paints cows.”
So it comes as no surprise that the cow in various avatars saunters through the exhibition titled Nothing Else but Love. But love comes in various forms, of course, and the cow is only one of them. A large canvas holding an embracing couple rendered in shades of indigo, carries the legend ‘I love you’ across its white background while another portrays a young girl cuddling a cat. The exploration of filial love is a key theme, with multiple mother and child paintings and sculptures forming part of the show.
In his typical style, the eyes of the various people are shut. “That is because I don’t want to connect the viewer to the person in the painting. I want every person to experience the painting in their own way,” he says.
His second innings
Ponnusamy Gnanadickam was born and spent his early years in Neyveli, Cuddalore district. Art was a passion and he constantly toted around a sketchbook. But unfortunately it was not seen as a viable career option. “You know how artists are portrayed as poor and unemployed…” he laughs.
His father, who worked as a foreman in the mining corporation and was always surrounded by engineers, advised him to take up mechanical engineering. And so he did, going on to work as an engineer in various companies.
Then, he moved to Singapore to work, and his life changed completely. He started spending long hours in galleries and museums of the little red dot over the weekend, “to research and study about art,” says Gnana. Also, he began exhibiting at the London Fine Arts gallery here. “They liked my work and sold a few pieces; it was a great experience,” he says.
He finally decided to quit his job and get formally trained in art, much to his family’s trepidation. It helped that he received a scholarship from LaSalle College of the Arts in 2002, from where the hitherto self-taught artist received formal training. “Thanks to the scholarship, I didn’t have to worry about money. Yes, of course, my family wasn’t happy but I was very focussed on this,” he says.
In 2003, he co-founded The Gallery of Gnani Arts along with his partner and wife, Vidhya, the curator of this current exhibition. “Our focus is mostly on South Indian artwork,” he says, adding that he tries reaching out to artists directly, instead of going through dealers.
There has been no looking back. Today his work lies in the collection of the former President of Singapore as well as the Singapore Art Museum, which is “very rare for an Indian”, he says.
An active member of the Singapore’s Sculpture Society and the Singapore Art Society, Gnana has done over 10 solo art exhibitions and travelled widely with his work. “I keep challenging myself. I have to,” he says, talking about his evolution as an artist. He experiments constantly, playing with form, material, techniques and medium. But one thing is and has always been constant, he admits — the reiteration of his Indian identity. “I always wanted to bring my culture and roots to my art.”
Nothing Else but Love is on till December 19 at Artworld Sarala’s Art Centre.