Thota Vaikuntam (born 1942) is an Indian
painter. His paintings capture simple lifestyle of villagers like the
paddy fields,
toddy pots on shoulders of men, the household chores, temple rituals etc. His drawings range from stark
charcoal on paper, transparent washes and pencil drawings.
Early life and background
Vaikuntam was born in Burugupalli,
Karimnagar district
Karimnagar district is one of the 33 districts of the Indian state of Telangana. Karimnagar city is its administrative headquarters. The district shares boundaries with Peddapalli, Jagityal, Sircilla, Siddipet, Jangaon, Hanamkonda district an ...
,
Telangana
Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 3 ...
. His father used to run a grocery shop.
He studied at the
College of Fine Arts and Architecture, Hyderabad and Painting and Printmaking, Faculty of Fine Arts,
Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, formerly Baroda College, is a public university in the city of Vadodara, in Gujarat state, India. Originally established as a college in 1881, it became a university in 1949 after the independence of ...
(on a Lalit Kala Akademi Fellowship from Andhra Pradesh). He was under the tutelage of
K. G. Subramanyan
Kalpathi Ganpathi "K.G." Subramanyan (1924 29 June 2016) was an Indian artist. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2012.
Life
Subramanyan was born in Tamil Brahmin family on 1924 in Kuthuparamba in Kerala, India, and initially studied econ ...
at Baroda.
The love for women in his paintings can be traced back to his childhood fascination of the impersonations of women characters by the male artists of the theatre groups performing in his village.
Career
Vaikuntam paints colourful and elaborately dressed
Telangana region
Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 35, ...
men and seductive women. His muse is the sensuous and voluptuous women of Telangana with their omnipresent
vermilion
Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its corresponding color. It i ...
bindis, draped in colourful sarees that highlight their dusky skin.
The stylisation of a painting are a perfect foil to Indian classical dance as the figures seem to dance, as if following their creator in a statuesque movement, reminiscent of temple friezes. He uses the brightest of reds and yellows. The simple women become larger than life as they fill the small format of his paintings draped in bright
Sircilla
Sircilla (also spelled as Siricilla/Sirsilla) is a town and the district headquarters of Rajanna Sircilla district in the Indian state of Telangana. It is located on the banks of Manair river in the Sircilla mandal of Sircilla revenue divisio ...
sari
A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include:
* as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO
* bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO
* gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std ...
s.
He worked as art director for the film, ''
Daasi'' (1988), and received a
National award
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate ...
.
He also worked on ''
Maa Bhoomi
''Maa Bhoomi'' () is a 1979 Indian Telugu-language social problem film directed by Goutam Ghose in his debut. The film is produced by B. Narsing Rao, who also wrote the film with Goutam Ghose. The film is based on the novel ''Jab Khet Jage'' by ...
'' (1979) and ''
Matti Manushulu'' (1990). A film was made based on his story as ''Rangula Kala'', which displayed the range of his work as young upcoming painter.
Personal life
Vaikuntam is married and has two sons and a daughter.
Awards
*
Bharat Bhavan Biennale Award, Bhopal
*
National Award
The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate ...
, Govt. of India
* State Award
See also
*
*
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaikuntam, Thota
1942 births
Living people
20th-century Indian painters
Indian male painters
People from Karimnagar district
Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda alumni
Painters from Telangana
20th-century Indian male artists