Style :
Men and women of his village are often the central characters of his work. The obsession can be traced back to his childhood, when he used to be fascinated by the male artists who used to impersonate female characters in the travelling theatre groups that performed in his village. He admits finding the women of his village very sensuous and that he only attempts to capture their vibrancy. Vaikuntam’s art has a sense of strength to it, a power that emanates from the paint or charcoal that he applies to the surface, from his controlled lines, and from the fine strokes that he executes. He generally uses only primary colours, as he believes that composite colours do not exist in nature and are therefore, unnatural.
About the Artist :
Born : 1942 in Boorugupali, Andhra Pradesh.
Education :
1970 – T. Vaikuntam completed a Diploma in Painting at the College of Fine Arts and Architecture, Hyderabad.
1972 – Painting and Printmaking from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda.
Solo Exhibition :
1973 – He held his first solo exhibition at the Kala Bhavan in Hyderabad and since then has had regular shows at various galleries in Hyderabad, Bangalore, New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.
2007 – His most recent shows have been ‘Yes, I am He’ organized by India Fine Art at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai.
2007 – ‘Telangana: Inheritance of a Dream Lost’ at Art Alive, New Delhi.
2006 – ‘Mukham’ at Sanskriti Art Gallery, Kolkata.
Group Shows :
2009 – ‘Indian Harvest’ presented by Crimson – the Art Resouce, Bangalore, at SG Private Bank, Singapore.
2009 – ‘The Root of Everything’ at Gallery Mementos, Bangalore.
2008 – ‘Post Independence Masters’ at Aicon Gallery, New York.
2006 – ‘6 Artists Show’ at 1×1 Gallery, Dubai.
2002 – ‘Tradition and Change’ at Arts India, New York.
2000 – ‘Ignition’ at Crimson Art Gallery, Mumbai.
Award :
1993 – National Award for Painting.
1988-89 – Biennale Award from Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal.
