Exhibition at Lalit Kala Akademi to showcase works of two retired art teachers
The event is a son's tribute to the body of work left behind by his parents. Both passed away in their early 60s.
'Mom was one year junior to dad at Government College of Fine Arts in Egmore where they first met and discovered a shared love for teaching art,' recalls A. Venkatakrishna, also an alumnus of the college.
Both came from humble backgrounds to make a career in art in the late 50s. Anjaneyulu left his village with ₹100 to pursue a course at the College of Fine Arts. He shared an accommodation by paying ₹10 a month and also supported himself by working part-time as an artist for local magazines.
'Dad was a workaholic, he used to visit homes to conduct art classes after his school hours and pursue his creative interests. He was an active member of the Cholamandal Artists Village,' says Venkatakrishna, who is into digital film restoration.
Geetha was influenced by her father, who served as the chief editor of Municipal Gazette to pursue art. 'There were only three female students in my mom's batch then,' he says adding that Geetha specialised in Tanjore paintings.
Close to 40 artworks will be on display at the venue, all showcasing different aspects of art and nuggets of information from the artist couple's life. Anjaneyulu specialised in Batik, a traditional dyeing technique that uses wax-resist patterns on fabric. 'So elaborate and time-consuming is this process, one carried out with heated wax brush, that my parents would book a night show at Pilot Theatre and return to complete one more stage,' says Venkatakrishna.
Meena Muthiah, the Kumara Rani of Chettinad, used to conduct workshops that Anjaneyulu would be a part of. 'At one event, dad drew an instant sketch of M.F. Hussain who was also present at the event, which will also be showcased,' he says. With contemporaries such as Aadhimoolam, Selvaraj and other senior artists, Anjaneyulu has been part of group exhibitions across India.
'This is their first solo exhibition, and many students have different memories of them which I want them to relive by looking at their works,' says Venkatakrishna. He says all artists love their works to be displayed at Lalit Kala Akademi and this is a fitting tribute to them.
The event will be inaugurated on May 28 at 5.30 p.m. by artist and actor Sivakumar, who was Geetha's batchmate, and Trotsky Marudu, art director and VFX creative director.
The exhibition will be on view from May 29 to June 3 (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) at Lalit Kala Akademi on Greams Road.
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