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The Twisted Canvas of Jagadish Chintala

When art starts enunciating about our society, people and their demeanour as a three-
dimensional life size effigy, bathed in psychedelic hues, then be sure that you are perceiving
the contemporary works of Jagadish Chintala. Every single Chintala’s creation carries an
expression of ordinary life packed in extra-ordinary creativity.His most famous tubular art
whether projecting the rapport of the roommates, the bonding of traditional Indian
neighbours, the commitment of the businessmen, the passion between the couple on a
vacation or a chilled-out saadhu in shades; reflects everyday life seeping with incredible
ingenuity in scintillating colours with a jaw-dropping awe. If there is one word that could
describe the artist’s creation, it probably would be ‘carnival’ as each sculpture radiates a
multitude of happy hues and fills a sombre heart with joy. As the eminent Spanish artist
Pablo Picasso puts it ‘the purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls’, which
artist Jagadish Chintala’s work does effortlessly.

If you ever find the artist’s famous maskon the walls of an art lover outside India, do not be
surprised, as Chintala’s work is world renowned and has countlesspatrons, sometimes even
before it isfinished. He is one of those rare artists who has put India on the map of ‘one of the
best destinations for contemporary art’with sheer magnitude of his artistic flair. Born in a
middleclass family in Hyderabad in 1956, he lived a life of a regular suburban boy with giant
dreams. Nevertheless, his unswerving fascination for art at an early age,made it a naturally
chosen path. He took up a Diploma in Painting from the College of Fine Arts and
Architecture, Hyderabad, where his confidence pumped up when he topped his class. This
transformed him into a ‘go-getter’ who later decided to study art in the prestigious Faculty of
Fine Arts, M.S University, Baroda. Although, initially he had to fight with the Dean and the
veteran artist, K. G.Subramanyan to win a seat in post-Graduate Diploma in Mural Design
course,he recalls how the man ignited the creative spark in him when he was about to quit
later.

Chintala’s inspiration for his popular papier-machesculptures originated from his work in
Doordarshan in his early days of career. Back then he created multiple low-cost animal
puppets for a Children’s show to be used by the kids. These puppets were not only
lightweight, but also vivacious in its appearance, which led to its massive success. He then
started perfecting his art work using papier mache as medium, while hiscontemporaries were
using a metal medium. In his opinion, papier mache is a medium with endless possibilities,
but a tricky one to work with. His initial works of art echoed the vibrancy of his roots,
Telangana and its culture, but as he started traveling the length and breadth of the globe, his
work started reflecting the cross-cultural attire, expressions, sophistication and much more.
As his art evolved, so did his medium and he switched to aluminium, where editions are
easier comparedto papier mache according to the artist.

It is not everyday when you see an artist raise to fame in a short span of time through pure
talent. His sold-out show in Garhi Studio, Delhi brought him a huge recognition along with
an opportunity to study in UK through a British Envoy in Mumbai. Soon, he was offered a
three-months British Council and Charles Wallace India Trust Travel Grant for study and
research in the UK with Henry Moore, a renowned English artist. During his stay in UK he
interacted with many international artists and observed different facets of the society which is
often resonated in his artwork. He is based in Hyderabad, India, but travels every four months
to Michigan, USA to work in his studio for his overseas patrons. He works almost twelve
hours a day and passionately callsboth his studios his lab. As an artist he has transcended the
mundane art form on flat canvas and createdquirkythree-dimensionalpaper collages, masks
and tubular sculptures, each with its own unorthodox identity and a sublime narrative.

While most of his artworks is held in private collections by collectors across the world, some
of his work can be relishedby thepublic in Madras Museum, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal and the
National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. In a career that spans more than three decades,
he has been bestowed with many accolades including the Pollock – Krasener Foundation
Award. His piece of advice to emerging artists is to create original, unique and distinctive
works of art. His life is a living example for those who doubt the powers of imagination. He
has not only created a new dimension in the world of art through his inventive pieces of
work, but has also softly nudged the dreamers through his panache that thinking out of the
box and executing the idea well can createremarkablebreakthroughs.

Sai Ratna Manjari

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