VISUAL artist JMS Mani is best known for his Badami series of oil paintings but the Bengaluru-
based artist’s body of work traverses many other themes in various media. The show, A Retrospective, at Gallery Time and Space is a look back at the artist’s journey and includes artwork from various stages of his life.
“Badami is the birthplace of my master, RM Hadapad,” says the 69-year-old artist about the renowned series, adding, “And when I visited, I fell in love with the people and the place. Through the ’90s I worked on the Badami series.” The oil on canvases are strongly impressionist in style with broad brush and palette knife strokes. The vivid colours capture the true spirit of the region.
A student of the Ken School of Art in Sheshadripuram (which was started by RM Hadapad), Mani started learning the craft in 1974 when the school was just a makeshift shed in a vege-table market. “While I am very inspired by my guru, and MF Husain, most of my paintings have my own distinct style, I’d say,” he says when asked about influences. Although due to ill health, for the past year he has not worked on new projects, the artist has tried his hand at various media and his work has been exhibited in galleries in Singa-pore, London, New York, and Hong Kong. The exhibition will also have graphic prints, acrylic pieces, etchings, watercolours, mixed media pieces, bronze sculptures and charcoal work.
Until July 20. At Gallery Time and Space, Lavelle Road