When
art starts enunciating about our society, people and their demeanour as a
three-dimensional life size effigy, bathed in psychedelic hues, then be sure that
you are perceiving the contemporary works of Jagadish
Chintala. Every single Chintala’s creation
carries an expression of ordinary life packed in extra-ordinary creativity.His
most famous tubular art whether projecting the rapport of the roommates, the
bonding of traditional Indian neighbours, the commitment of the businessmen,
the passion between the couple on a vacation or a chilled-out saadhu in shades;
reflects everyday life seeping with incredible ingenuity in scintillating
colours with a jaw-dropping awe. If there is one word that could describe the
artist’s creation, it probably would be ‘carnival’ as each sculpture radiates a
multitude of happy hues and fills a sombre heart with joy. As the eminent Spanish
artist Pablo Picasso puts it ‘the purpose of art is washing the dust of daily
life off our souls’, which artist Jagadish Chintala’s work does effortlessly.
If
you ever find the artist’s famous maskon the walls of an art lover outside
India, do not be surprised, as Chintala’s work is world renowned and has countlesspatrons,
sometimes even before it isfinished. He is one of those rare artists who has put
India on the map of ‘one of the best destinations for contemporary art’with
sheer magnitude of his artistic flair. Born in a middleclass family in
Hyderabad in 1956, he lived a life of a regular suburban boy with giant dreams.
Nevertheless, his unswerving fascination for art at an early age,made it a
naturally chosen path. He took up a Diploma in Painting from the College of
Fine Arts and Architecture, Hyderabad, where his confidence pumped up when he
topped his class. This transformed him into a ‘go-getter’ who later decided to
study art in the prestigious Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S University, Baroda.
Although, initially he had to fight with the Dean and the veteran artist, K. G.Subramanyan
to win a seat in post-Graduate Diploma in Mural Design course,he recalls how
the man ignited the creative spark in him when he was about to quit later.
Chintala’s
inspiration for his popular papier-machesculptures originated from his work in
Doordarshan in his early days of career. Back then he created multiple low-cost
animal puppets for a Children’s show to be used by the kids. These puppets were
not only lightweight, but also vivacious in its appearance, which led to its
massive success. He then started perfecting his art work using papier mache as
medium, while hiscontemporaries were using a metal medium. In his opinion,
papier mache is a medium with endless possibilities, but a tricky one to work
with. His initial works of art echoed the vibrancy of his roots, Telangana and
its culture, but as he started traveling the length and breadth of the globe,
his work started reflecting the cross-cultural attire, expressions,
sophistication and much more. As his art evolved, so did his medium and he
switched to aluminium, where editions are easier comparedto papier mache according
to the artist.
It is not everyday when you see an artist raise to
fame in a short span of time through pure talent. His sold-out show in Garhi
Studio, Delhi brought him a huge recognition along with an opportunity to study
in UK through a British Envoy in Mumbai. Soon, he was offered a three-months
British Council and Charles Wallace India Trust Travel Grant for study and
research in the UK with Henry Moore, a renowned English artist. During his stay
in UK he interacted with many international artists and observed different
facets of the society which is often resonated in his artwork. He is based in Hyderabad,
India, but travels every four months to Michigan, USA to work in his studio for
his overseas patrons. He works almost twelve hours a day and passionately callsboth
his studios his lab. As an artist he has transcended the mundane art form on
flat canvas and createdquirkythree-dimensionalpaper collages, masks and tubular
sculptures,
each with its own unorthodox identity and a sublime narrative.
While
most of his artworks is held in private collections by collectors across the
world, some of his work can be relishedby thepublic in Madras Museum, Bharat
Bhavan, Bhopal and the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. In a career
that spans more than three decades, he has been bestowed with many accolades
including the Pollock – Krasener Foundation Award. His piece of advice to
emerging artists is to create original, unique and distinctive works of art.
His life is a living example for those who doubt the powers of imagination. He
has not only created a new dimension in the world of art through his inventive
pieces of work, but has also softly nudged the dreamers through his panache that
thinking out of the box and executing the idea well can createremarkablebreakthroughs.
