12 Aug 2021

Colours of the Land

The Fragrance of Rain Inspires Artist Ganesh Doddamani 


Inspired by petrichor, artist Ganesh Doddamani presents his recent works, a series of paintings which capture the fragrance and essence of places, at MKF Museum, Bangalore.  

Painting by Ganesh Doddamani, Art Scene India
He explains, “Over the past few years or so, my work has naturally and gradually drifted towards abstraction and a distinctive method of compressing the rich color and form of my environment into complex landscape paintings that imbue material reality with a deep sense of place. I combine color making techniques with the vernacular, in a bid to arrive at an idiom that is entirely contemporary.” 

Fields of colours reflect patterns and textures of the land. In this exhibition Doddamani waxes eloquent about the smell of rain, the first shower which soaks the earth and has a beautiful and distinctive fragrance. The heady smell that engulfs us when the parched land soaks up the first few drops of rain. The mist encases the landscape forming a veil that is poetic and romanticizes the atmosphere.

"I have been living and working in Bangalore from past 11 years, but my impulse to paint grew naturally out of my childhood. In my landscape concept, the very materials the painting is made of, connects it back to the land, since paint is essentially made from earth, from minerals," he elaborates.

Despite the abstract mode of representation, Doddamani ensures a deep sense of connect to his native land and landscape. The colours and textures are evocative and closely connected to a material reality that is very familiar to the artist. 

Painting by Ganesh Doddamani, Art Scene India
The Karnataka born artist Ganesh Doddamani showed interest in drawing at an early age, focusing mainly on the figurative form and also on the heritage of India. He later attended art classes while experimenting with colours during that period of time. 

Doddamani has completed his BFA with honours from the MMK College of Art, Gulbarga and an MFA from the prestigious Kala Bhavana- Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan. Over the years he has drifted towards abstraction and used a technique to enhance the bright and solid colours on the canvas.

There are 25 paintings in this exhibition and the artist will be donating 50% of the sale proceeds to support artists who have been affected by the pandemic and require financial assistance.


The exhibition continues till 29th Aug at MKF Museum, Lavelle Road, Bangalore.





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