Artist G Jagadish doesn’t know the ragas. But he paints the melodies, in a flow, as he hears them. He has perfected the art of fusing painting and music. Music moves his brush strokes. The music concerts are in his studio. Jagadish, known for his works based on the melodies at concerts, where he paints before an audience, or rather performs, has taken a spiritual turn. He is currently working on 108 paintings based on Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagwat Geeta. The work has been commissioned by K R Nagendra from Mysore.
“I do not know the ragas or even recognise them. But when I hear the melodies, my paint brush moves as if it’s in a trance. When I paint, the focus remains on the lyrics of the song. I try to bring out the essence of the song.” According to Jagadish, the perception of the melody and its expression on the canvas has to come quickly. When on stage, it takes him about 7-8 minutes to finish each work. He adds, “The audience looks at the emerging painting keenly and is surprised by the pace of my work. They see the work emerging on the canvas within minutes. They come and touch my hands to see if I have really done it. At every performance, I present 8-10 works.” Jagadish has painted during the performance of well-known singers like S Janaki, Chitra, Unnikrishnan, S P Balasubramanyam, Shubha, Ratnamala Prakash and many singers from Karnataka. “The singers believe that my painting the melodies on the dais gives their singing a different dimension. They say that the painting brings about the elements in a melody that singing hasn’t.” Jagadish uses oils, water colours, mixed media. He also works on murals. “At 22, I worked with BKS Varma, my guru, who inspired me with his use of colours and his painting of gods and goddesses.” He likes using red. “It is brilliant and dynamic. It radiates energy. Helen Keller had once said that she could feel the sensation of red through the skin and not really look at it for the effect. I often use red for backgrounds. It brings out the theme dramatically.” Specialising in oil painting, Jagadish is interested in the therapeutic value of art in general and colours in particular.
“I go for nature trails in Karnataka or Goa. Communing with nature inspires me to look for colours and bring them down on paper.” He has a collection of 21 paintings on the classical singers of Dasa Padas like Thyagraja, Dikshitar, Shama Shastry, Purandaradas and others. Preparing for a solo exhibition, he is creating 25 photo paintings on Indian wildlife.
He has been honoured with the Kempegowda award, Parimala Prashasti, Suvarna Karnataka Sambrama, Aryabhata award, Karnataka Ratnashree award and also been given the title “Apurva Chitrakala Nidhi”. “I am confined to the studio from 10 in the night to 2am. Some works take two months. Others may need six months. A series can take more than a year,” he adds. Jagadish has made a progression towards spirituality. He also done portraits of Adi Shankaracharya and other religious teachers.