Style : Goud displays versatility over a range of mediums, from printmaking, drawing, watercolour, gouache and pastels to glass painting and sculpture in bronze and terracotta. Over the many years of his artistic career, he is known to have moved from one medium to another with élan. Fellow artist T. Vaikuntam, in one of his interviews, reminisces that it was Laxma Goud who introduced him to the art of sketching and made him aware of the possibilities of this medium.
When one looks at Goud’s work, rustic, raw, and potent might be the first words that come to mind. His portraits of men and women represent the dynamic Indian ethos rather than particular individual identities. A recurrent theme with the artist is that of the erotic, treated as an active and powerful aspect of male and female sexuality and existence. Goud’s work is dramatic; his protagonists are raw and vivacious in their appeal, imbibed with energy that reverberates through his strokes and textures. Most of Goud’s art is centered on the rural, recreating landscapes from his childhood as if they were frozen in time. In the artist’s later work, his figures turn softer, more introspective than brash in their outlook.
About the Artist and his work :
Born : 1940 in Nizampur, Andhra Pradesh
Education :
1963 – Diploma in Drawing and Painting from the Government School of Art and Architecture, Hyderabad;
1963 to 1965 – Mural Painting and Printmaking at the Faculty of Fine Arts at M.S. University, Baroda.
Exhibition :
2007 – The exhibition, ‘Laxma Goud 40 Years: A Retrospective’ was organized by Aicon Gallery, New York.
Solo Shows :
2006 – Goud’s work include ‘Sculptures, Bronze and Terra-cottas’ at the Guild Art Gallery, Mumbai; ‘Recent Terracotta, Ceramic, Bronze Sculptures’ at Gallery Threshold, New Delhi, and Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai;
2003 – Aicon Gallery, New York;
2001-02 – Grey Art Gallery, New York.
Group Shows :
2007 – ‘From the Vault’ at Aicon Gallery, London and New York; ‘17th Anniversary Show’ at Gallery Sanskriti, Kolkata;
2006 – ‘Back to the Future’ at Gallery Espace, New Delhi;
1977 – Goud’s work has also been a part of the São Paulo Biennale, Brazil;
1986 – ‘Indian Art Tomorrow’ at the Philips Collection, Washington D.C.
Honours and Awards :
1971 – Gold Medal, Annual Exhibition, Lalit Kala Academy, Andhra Pradesh
1969 – Gold Medal, Hyderabad Art Society, Hyderabad
1968 – Silver Medal, Hyderabad Art Society, Hyderabad
1966-70 – Award, Annual Exhibition, Lalit Kala Academy, Andhra Pradesh
1962 – Award, Annual Exhibition, Lalit Kala Academy, Andhra Pradesh.
