K.C.S. Paniker
Encyclopedia
K. C. S. Paniker, was one of the best metaphysical and abstract
painters in India
, took to interpreting the country's age-old metaphysical and spiritual knowledge in the 60s, when Indian art was still under the influence of the western painters
. "That was the time when a few Indian artists were trying to break out of this Western influence and establish an idiom and identity of their own," he once said.
In 1976, he was awarded the highest award of the Lalit Kala Akademi
, India's National Academy of Art, the Fellow of the Lalit Kala Akademi for lifetime contribution.
on May 31, 1911, Paniker received his education in Kerala
and later in Tamil Nadu
.The lush green village in which Panicker lived influenced the colourful landscapes of his early years. The bright colours stayed in his paintings, even though he moved away from landscapes and onto other subject matters.
A virtual child prodigy, Panicker began painting landscapes when he was only 12. By the age of 17, he was already exhibiting at the Madras Fine Arts Society's annual shows. Somewhere in 1918, he gave up college education to take up a job at the Indian Telegraph Department to support his family after the death of his father.
It was not until the age of 25 that he joined the Government School of Arts and Crafts, Chennai (1936-40) .
. He founded the Progressive Painters’ Association (P.P.A), in Chennai in 1944 . It was only in 1954 that he got the first international exposure when he held exhibitions at London
and Paris
. He became the Principal of the Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai, in 1957, and in 1966 formed the Cholamandal Artists' Village, 9 km from Chennai
, along with his students and a few fellow artists.
The exhibitions' abroad and his exposure to abstract artists like Salvador Dalí
had a major influence on his art. "They hark back to the weird, but spiritually uplifting figurative exaggerations of ancient Indian painting and sculpture," Panicker said.
Yet, the colours he used were bright and sunny, the kinds of colors that you see in the paintings of the Impressionists. Somewhere down the line, Panicker moved on to use calligraphy
and symbols to project a state of metaphysical abstraction.
KCS Panicker died in Chennai at the age 66 in January 1977.
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
painters in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, took to interpreting the country's age-old metaphysical and spiritual knowledge in the 60s, when Indian art was still under the influence of the western painters
Western painting
The history of Western painting represents a continuous, though disrupted, tradition from antiquity. Until the mid-19th century it was primarily concerned with representational and Classical modes of production, after which time more modern, abstract and conceptual forms gained favor.Developments...
. "That was the time when a few Indian artists were trying to break out of this Western influence and establish an idiom and identity of their own," he once said.
In 1976, he was awarded the highest award of the Lalit Kala Akademi
Lalit Kala Akademi
The Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art is India's National Academy of Arts. It was an autonomous organization, established at New Delhi in 1954 by Government of India to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, both within and outside the country...
, India's National Academy of Art, the Fellow of the Lalit Kala Akademi for lifetime contribution.
Early life and education
Born in CoimbatoreCoimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
on May 31, 1911, Paniker received his education in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
and later in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
.The lush green village in which Panicker lived influenced the colourful landscapes of his early years. The bright colours stayed in his paintings, even though he moved away from landscapes and onto other subject matters.
A virtual child prodigy, Panicker began painting landscapes when he was only 12. By the age of 17, he was already exhibiting at the Madras Fine Arts Society's annual shows. Somewhere in 1918, he gave up college education to take up a job at the Indian Telegraph Department to support his family after the death of his father.
It was not until the age of 25 that he joined the Government School of Arts and Crafts, Chennai (1936-40) .
Career
Since 1941, Panicker had been holding one man shows in Chennai and DelhiDelhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. He founded the Progressive Painters’ Association (P.P.A), in Chennai in 1944 . It was only in 1954 that he got the first international exposure when he held exhibitions at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He became the Principal of the Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai, in 1957, and in 1966 formed the Cholamandal Artists' Village, 9 km from Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, along with his students and a few fellow artists.
The exhibitions' abroad and his exposure to abstract artists like Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí
Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....
had a major influence on his art. "They hark back to the weird, but spiritually uplifting figurative exaggerations of ancient Indian painting and sculpture," Panicker said.
Yet, the colours he used were bright and sunny, the kinds of colors that you see in the paintings of the Impressionists. Somewhere down the line, Panicker moved on to use calligraphy
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
and symbols to project a state of metaphysical abstraction.
KCS Panicker died in Chennai at the age 66 in January 1977.
Legacy
KCS Panicker is considered as a leading figure in Madras Art Movement. He is the founder of Cholamandal Artists' Village.External links
- "KCS Paniker : The Rhythm of Symbols, a documentary on Paniker's works"
- Cholamandal Artists' Village, Official website
- "Primary source for this page"
- "Detailed site on K.C.S Paniker"
- "Paniker's Legacy" The HinduThe HinduThe Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...