I explored the intricacies of Thota Vaikuntam’s studio and the way it reflected his practice that had been impacted by his experiences growing up in a small village in Andhra Pradesh last week. This week, I will explore another artist studio that I recently visited in Hyderabad, the studio of Anjaneyulu G, an artist hailing from the Suryapet district of Telangana whose artistic practice takes shape through his countless experiences as a young boy growing up in a humble neighbourhood. To me, it was very fascinating to discover how two artists coming from similar backgrounds and the same region have completely different approaches to art. While both of them look at their memories, one takes inspiration from people and the other from objects that shape their unique artistic practices.
The use of objects-still life is fundamental to Anjaneyulu’s oeuvre who constructs his canvases by exploring the memories of his childhood. For the artist, the objects of everyday use commonly found in small towns and villages that he captures in his oil paintings are not just reminiscent of the artist’s past, he seeks to render them timeless; he isolates the mundane and gives them meaning through his art. His studio is lined up with utensils, and old objects, most of them now obsolete but serving as a source of inspiration to the artist, taking him back to the memories of the village.
On this recent visit to Anjaneyulu’s studio in Hyderabad, we spoke extensively about how his work has evolved, and how he uses the technique of hyper-realism as a tool to bring the objects to life, to tell their stories. As Anjaneyulu guided me through his studio, he reminisced memories associated with each of his paintings. For instance, the artwork ‘Thorn’ originated from his memory of seeing people in his village without slippers. In Anjaneyulu’s village, the people often went without wearing slippers or chappals as it wasn’t customary to wear shoes in his native village at that time. This often resulted in many of the barefoot people being pricked by thorns lying in the wilderness. This distinct memory impacted the artist so much that it led to the creation of ‘Thorn’ that explored the experiences of the villagers through this simple object found in nature.
The artist also recalled that the objects in his village, be it utensils or baskets, were always dented owing to their rough usage as part of daily chores. For Anjaneyulu, these objects are a metaphor for life, where despite several dents and hardships, we carry on. The objects become his subjects in a certain sense. Not only do they capture memories but also have a metaphoric significance for the artist.
Having the privilege of visiting several artist studios over the past decade, I often ponder upon the fact that an artist’s creativity is reflected in their studios but is not limited to a closed space where an artist is found in a meditative state, in dialogue with their work. For Anjaneyulu, a mere memory and an obsolete object is barely a glimpse into the larger picture, a whole reservoir of stories that his creativity is waiting to tell.
Sunaina Anand
sunaina@artalivegallery.com
Founder and Director, Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi