How Vaishnava Namam-s appear cosmic in Arpitha Reddy’s paintings
New Delhi / October 20, 2023
New Delhi, Oct 20: An evening procession at a vintage Deccan temple went on to trigger fresh visuals in Arpitha Reddy, prompting her to paint in various shades the holy mark she noticed on the foreheads of the elephants leading the circumambulations. Hence were born the ‘Namam-s’, which find prominence at a show the artist is holding in the national capital.
Select 16 of them form a third of the paintings at the October 19-25 Vishwatma at Bikaner House in Lutyens’ Delhi. Done in a matter of months since last year-end, the inspiration traces to a darshan Arpitha had at the Venkateswara shrine at Tirupati in November 2022. “The Tirumala pilgrimage to southern Andhra Pradesh is something I have been doing fairly regularly since childhood. That time, with my extended family, I happened to stumble upon the Friday parade at the precincts. First time!” rewinds the Hyderabad-based painter. “It gifted me with a sight which I didn’t know was to gift me a new venture with art.”
The ‘Namam’ occupies the prime section at the 50-work Vishwatma, curated by scholar-critic Uma Nair. “The jumbos and their tilak-s effectively symbolise the beauty and antiquity of Hinduism,” notes Delhi-based Uma, who also been writing on prominent artists the world over for more than three decades. “The view of elephants walking with the mark has all the potential to function as a catalyst for anyone’s artistry. They look so elegant.”
Arpitha wasn’t aiming at anything particular at Tirupati last November 3 when she found the temple was to host that evening a procession led by tuskers. “There was a baby elephant flanked by adult ones. Those two bore a Namam, whose shape I found curious. See, we are used to tilak-s that are either shaped U or V, but here it was neither,” she trails off, referring to the spectacle against the backdrop of the verdant Tirumala hillocks. Elongated, but with a flat bottom, these white Namam-s on the black surface caught the fancy of the artist.
When translated into her kind of art, the Namam-s of Arpitha did undergo their modifications in depiction. They rest on the image of a lotus that functions as the pedestal. Each of the 16 Namam images earns distinction with a change of shade. It goes by a progression from figurative works to symbolism even as the Namam, when smeared on the devotee’s forehead, is an extension of the deity’s power in one’s quest for a spiritual path upward.
To renowned artist Phaneendra Nath Chaturvedi, Vishwatma suggests a deep connection between the artist and the essence of universe. “The paintings transcend cultural boundaries and invite the viewer to a collective spirit that is timeless,” he notes.
The sacred Namam-s symbolise purity and enlightenment, points out Arpitha, who did her Masters (2009) in Drawing and Painting from Hamidia College at Bhopal, 13 years after earning an MA in Political Science from Osmania University, Hyderabad. Adds Uma: “When depicted in the images of Vishnu’s ten avatars, they capture with the essence of everlasting existence. The cyclical nature of the lord’s divine manifestations is put across tacitly.” That is the core about the Dashavatara segment.
The third is Sumangala, which are a 15-painting assemblage of auspicious symbols, capturing the intricacies of the lotus, conch shell, chakram, the sun and moon, among others. Vishwatma also features singular studies, the vital among them being the Panchmukhi Ganesha. Besides, there are a few figurative images that extol Kerala’s murals at the Krishna temple in Guruvayur. Overall, the exhibition seeks to take forward the aesthetics of the subcontinent’s ancient frescoes by re-creating select plots and figures from Hindu mythology.
The show hosts curatorial talks by the curator, with the aim of benefiting college students.
Besides Kerala murals, Arpitha’s art seeks to blend her experience in numerous traditional art-forms including Pata Chitra, Phad, Thangal, Cherial, Tanjore and Kalamkari for two decades. A winner of several awards and honours, her paintings have made it to major cities within India and abroad.
