Arts of Bangalore

Sunlight bounces off the circles of burnished steel on a traffic island adjacent to the marvellous Tudor building that graces Mahatma Gandhi Road. The sculpture celebrates the philosophical mysteries of human DNA and was created by celebrated artist Yusuf Arrakal. A fitting symbol for a city that is the technology capital of India.

In juxtaposition, a few hundred metres away, Queen Victoria, carved in white marble gazes imperiously upon this much loved thoroughfare. A statue of Mahatma Gandhi stands nearby, looking upon the green expanse of Cubbon Park.

On Cunningham Road, a building of rectangular lines and curved balustrades has one wall emblazoned with floating gold leaves. Conceptualised by S. G. Vasudev, the leaves seem to float in the precipitated air of a summer day, reminding one of T. S. Eliot and his evocation of a falling leaf.

Brass lock sculptures grace the compound of a modernistic financial institution near Trinity Circle. In the foyer, a Balan Nambiar sculpture in stainless steel, inspired by Kerala’s ancient spiritual traditions, towers two stories high.

S. G. Vasudev’s painting at Crimson

The canvases of Husain, Vasudev, Hanumaiah, Hariram, Arakkal, Bendre and many others create a pastiche of genres on the walls of the Venkatappa Art Gallery on Kasturba Road. There is a section dedicated to C. P. Rajaram's exquisite wood carvings and another to the canvases of K. K. Hebbar.

On Kumara Krupa Road, an intricately carved granite archway welcomes visitors to the Art Complex of the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath. It is a treasure house of art from across the state. And its students hold promise of becoming the artists of tomorrow.

There is at least one new art show opening every week in the well known galleries: Crimson, Sumukha, Time & Space, Renaissance, Gallery G, Srishti and Kahawa. Out here one can relax for hours admiring Milind Nayak’s abstract landscapes and nature studies, salute the courage of K. K. Raghava’s nude tribute to his lady love, feel the gut-wrenching humanism of T. M. Azis in his black and white images, experience the angst of Ravi Kashi in the contours of his hand-made paper and enjoy the rectangular studies of Soumya Manjunath Chavan.

M. F. Husain, the four score and ten plus stormy icon of contemporary Indian art, has a gallery all to himself in Koramanagala. Husain Sankalana, designed by the master himself has samplings of his work dating to the 40s.

The gallery at the Taj West End

Many of the city’s hotels are keen promoters of art. The Taj West End, The ITC Windsor, The Park, The Oberoi, The Leela and Ista also showcase art exhibitions. The Windsor’s gallery matches the mood of its colonial architecture, overlooking the six storey high atrium with its circular lounge, its red carpeted grand staircase and a gorgeous chandelier of Murano glass and bead.

What is art if it is not collected and appreciated? What is art if it is not valuable? There is a fabulous selection of art in the sprawl of the Bangalore Palace, collected over two centuries of the dynasty’s rule. The major corporations have jumped onto the collectors’ bandwagon too, spelling great patronage for art in the years to come. Drive past the Vidhana Soudha with its Vijayanagar inspired columns and domes as the orb of the sun sinks to the west and catch the gold of Ashoka’s lions bathed in ethereal iridescence and you will understand the artistic soul of Bangalore.