Art that presents contemporary imaginary realism
From deities of various faiths to leaders of the people, Raghu Vyas has painted them all. And now, the artist is ready with his coffeetable book, The Art of Raghu Vyas
An artist often takes inspiration from his surroundings to create his artworks, but artist Raghu Vyas’ imagination stretches beyond the real to create art that he defines as works of contemporary imaginary realism — a genre quite in vogue in Europe but not much explored in India.
The Delhi-based 62-year-old artist, who has been conjuring imaginary realism on canvas for decades now, has curated his works for a limited edition coffee-table book, titled The Art of Raghu Vyas.
From Indian god Krishna’s romance to Roman goddess Venus’ appeal, the 170-plus artworks in the book cover six sections: Peace; Krishna; Divinity; Venus; Horses; and Portraits. “I only produce 10 to 12 paintings in a year. It takes a lot of time to create a canvas. I don’t make small works,” says Vyas, referring to the size of his paintings, which are at least 4’ X 4’ and often much bigger than that.
Vyas’ paintings are not only about divinities. In his studio, a canvas shows a court proceeding. He says, “This is The Trial of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak in a sedition case in 1908. Judge John is seen in this painting — he was a lawyer practising under Tilak before he became a judge. The two volumes of Geeta Rahasya: Karmyog Shastra, gifted by my father, inspired me to make this art.”
Apart from this, Vyas’ painting of Chanakya teaching sutras in the court of Chandragupta Maurya is also featured in the book.
Along with style, Vyas gives importance to research, too. His study of imaginary realism is seen in his depiction of Venus, which became popular when he painted Hollywood star Nicole Kidman as the Roman Goddess of Love in his work, Three Graces. He says, “Even in European themes, I add Indian elements. I feel it’s important that when one sees my work, they should be able to see my Indian roots.”
Raised in Jammu, on the banks of the Ravi, the artist finds a connect with Sikhism and has witnessed a tapestry of miniature paintings since childhood. “My father used to tell me stories of Sikh gurus. I’ve painted Maharaja Ranjit Singh and reproduced August Schoefft’s painting, The Court of Lahore.”
Among all his paintings, he
is particularly attached to one “depicting shringar rasa”, in which Krishna is combing the hair of his beloved, Radha.
The artist is coming up with a new series on Shiva, which is also a part of the book. But he chose not to experiment with any artwork. “There’s a social responsibility on every artist to not hurt any sentiments. And religion is a sensitive issue. If you make anything different, nobody will believe it; they’ll say it’s rubbish,” he says.
My father used to tell me stories of Sikh gurus. I even painted Maharaja Ranjit Singh and reproduced August Schoefft’s painting The Court of Lahore.
RAGHU VYAS ARTIST