Just as life is what you witness it to be, the way it plays out in front of you, such are the paintings of this magnificent artist. His value for original shades stands firm where he shows it like is in every work of art. Welcome to the collection of Thota Vaikuntam at Archer. We’ll take you through his achievements and the idealistic belief system that displays strokes of his unwavering love for Indian culture.
Thota Vaikuntam was born in Andhra Pradesh and studied at the college of Fine Arts and Architecture, Hyderabad. In 1971, he won the Lalit Kala Akademi Fellowship that made way for him to study at the M.S. University, Baroda.
Vaikuntam’s artworks have a sense of strength rooted within each stroke. There is a power that exudes a majestic influence, graced by his controlled lines with the finer strokes of expertise. Vaikuntam typically uses primary colours. His sense of refraining from composite shades stems from the fact that they do not exist in nature and are therefore unnatural.
Thota Vaikuntam further explains that primary colours give a sense of character and depth to his paintings. For instance, reds, saffron and even orange are essentially Indian colours. He was never a fan of blending shades, because of their non-existence in everyday life.
Although he lives and works in Hyderabad, Vaikuntam has had several solo exhibitions in Delhi, Mumbai and various cities across India.
Thota Vaikuntam paintings have also been exhibited in New York, London, Dubai, Birmingham and Kassel. His work was shown at the VII Triennale, Delhi and he has also exhibited with Saffronart in Los Angeles & Hong Kong in 2001.
He won the Bharat Biennale Award, Bhopal in 1988, as well as the National Award for Painting from the Government of India in 1993.
His paintings capture the simple lifestyle of villagers like the paddy fields, toddy pots on the shoulders of men, the household chores, temple rituals, etc. His drawings range from stark charcoal on paper, transparent washes and pencil drawings. The love for women in his paintings can be traced back to his childhood fascination with the impersonations of female characters by the male artists of the theatre groups performing in his village.
As you browse through the Thota Vaikuntam paintings, we hope you find admiration in the perceived depth, rooted creativity and the humble shades that coexist to create a masterpiece.
