KG Subramanyan’s ‘The Last Decade’

Vadehra Art Gallery presents a solo exhibition of the renowned artist K.G. Subramanyan, titled ‘The Last Decade.’ Curated by Professor R. Siva Kumar, the exhibition will be on view from 20 September to 9 October 2024. The preview is set for 20th September (12 PM to 6 PM). This exhibition focuses on his works from the last decade of his career, showcasing pieces that challenge conventional notions of “late style.”

The Last Decade is a centenary celebration of the artist’s life and the rich legacy that continues to shape the Indian art discourse. As a post-Independence artist, Subramanyan revolutionized Indian artistic philosophy through his versatile practice, which was prescient of the region’s diversity and oncoming contemporaneity. Being an art theorist and an active participant in the nation’s freedom struggle, the artist contributed to the nation’s philosophical revisions around the phase of newly achieved sovereignty through his sculptures, drawings,  paintings, murals, poetry, and academic texts. Drawing inspirations from mythological and traditional narratives, Subramanyan had built a theoretical and artistic oeuvre rich in historicity and sociopolitical awareness. 

Curator and art historian Professor R. Siva Kumar writes, “K.G. Subramanyan had a career of seventy years. This exhibition presents works from the last decade. Not comprehensively, but a particular aspect of it. The late works of artists with long careers are often characterized as a distinct category, done in a ‘late style’. However, not all long-living artists have late styles; some only have late works marked by a sense of ageing and impending death. Ageing is a biological, social, and mental phenomenon marked by decreased bodily abilities, reduced social life, and diminished cognitive power and memory.

Subramanyan remained much sought after and interested in the world around him, and his mental and critical faculties remained sharp till the very end. The three large murals he painted between 2009 and 2012 – the first of these measuring over 2000 square feet and painted standing on scaffolding – demonstrate that he refused to be tamed by age and that his ambition and artistic abilities remained undiminished. To him, age meant primarily the awareness that he had more life behind him than ahead,  which, in turn, required living fully in the present and packing as much work as possible into it. His last two murals in Santiniketan, both covering entire buildings and done in a month, underscore this. Or, as he often said, he wished to see a work completed within a snap of the fingers.” 

About KG Subramanyan 

K.G. Subramanyan (b.1924) was originally from Kerala and studied art at the Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan. Subramanyan’s practices also included those of a sculptor, a poet, a muralist, an academician, and a writer. He was also a faculty member at the MSU, Baroda and Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan whilst pursuing arts education as a John D. Rockefeller III Fund fellow in the U.S. and at the Slade School of Fine Art, London. Most of the artist’s oeuvre drew inspiration from Indian mythologies and traditional narratives. Subramanyan holds the award of Padma Vibhushan (2012) and Padma  Bhushan (2006).

About Vadehra Art Gallery

Representing a roster of artists across four generations, Vadehra Art Gallery was established in 1987.  The gallery’s programming takes the form of carefully curated and frequent exhibitions at two prominent locations in Delhi,  alongside art events, engaging conversations and a growing digital platform. The gallery continues to present curated projects at prestigious art fairs and institutional venues globally. They ventured into publishing in 1996, producing literature on ongoing exhibitions and artist projects.

Image Untitled, Gouache on board, 15 x 15 in, 2014; Courtesy – Vadehra Art Gallery 

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