The non-conformist

“I would consider my work of poor quality if it fails to elicit reactions or stimulate the intellect; it would then cease to be art and remains an expensive wall paper,” says painter, photographer, illustrator and writer and promoter of ‘Transcend Art’, Ramakanth Thumrugoti

Transcend Art is a contemporary form of visual art that employs lucid words to elucidate the meaning…Whether the transcend artist chooses to treat the work in an abstract form or the realistic, the message is conveyed with compelling clarity thus taking an abstract vision from the realm of vague speculation to that of narrative brilliance where one can step and then walk into the world created by the artist – From Transcend, Works of Ramakanth Thumrugoti.

Abstract art affects the onlooker with its intensity and draws you into its layers of colours and textures on to a path of self-discovery and then the art ceases to be the artist’s journey and becomes the viewers’. And how many times has one got lost in the maze trying to find the way in. For Ramakanth Thumrugoti, the sole purpose of his art is for the viewer to get connected and establish a common intellectual space between him, his art and the viewer. Even as he works on his abstract and semi abstract paintings, words are penned that do not keep the viewer away from the art for long. The beautifully written lines coax you onto a discovery that he himself has experienced and then leaves you on your own even as you peel layer after layer, establishing a personal connect with the art in the process. And this he calls his ‘Transcend Art Theory’.

“Art needs to have a purpose. Take Picasso for example, he was not just an artist, he was a social scientist. His art commented on the society, on war…,” he says. And evidently his paintings are an offshoot of his thoughts and impressions that emerge out of the society around him, the people he meets and the events of the world. His works (mentioned along with his descriptions) like ‘Deluding Democracy’ – If the majority always chooses one of its own to rule, how can we have visionary leaders who are so rare and exceptional?; ‘Indifference’ – In these times when one seeks the meaning of life from television, a lost life is just another engaging conversation (remembering the Dilsukhnagar bomb blast, Hyderabad, India, 2012); ‘Blinding White’ – Ever observed the abundance of color white around us? Things are being watched out in a tempestuous profusion of white light rationale. To stare straight into it is a blinding experience, (commenting on the excessive information that is leaving us opinion less) - are all poignant in thought and one can connect with the paintings in the context of the artist’s narration that in turn relate to several other instances and awakens the inner conscious which probably matters the most.

For this to be achieved there is some effort on the part of the artist. Ramakant shares, “It is not always a relaxing and pleasurable experience to draw a painting. In fact it is extremely stressful and at times a painful process. Only when the painting is completed is when you relax.”

While the form of his art is based on the theme that he works on, the artist in him has not confined to one style. “It would be tortuous for an artist to come to his studio and bring out the same kind of work, day in and out. Does a poet write the same lines each time he writes poetry? Why should an artist be different?” he asks. His work ‘Scary Vertical Lines’ – The life was consumed in drawing impeccably straight vertical lines. Not actually understanding why – speaks of this predicament of the majority of human beings, leave alone artists.

Considering that Ramakant is extremely popular in the advertising circles of Hyderabad for his contemporary creatives that have always been ahead of their times and is currently heading a successful enterprise, the artist in him is what fulfils him as a person. He has always been an artist, he says. “Advertising is a different life I lead. My father was an artist and for as long as I remember I used to draw. He taught me the basics of various mediums and the right use of the brush. I used to sketch very well. And even before my first show in Japan in 2007, my sketches and paintings were picked up by my friends and acquaintances who knew my work. It was my friends who had urged me into holding a show of my paintings in Japan, back then.”

The series of his art shows started with – ‘Of Human Bondage’ – showcased in Hikone City, Japan and was followed by ‘The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner’ that was presented in India in 2011 and ‘Choices We Made’. His latest – ‘To Live Again’ – the fourth one in the series was shown in New Delhi last year followed by Dubai. The show is going to travel to Singapore, Australia, Japan and the US and towards the end of the year will be shown in Hyderabad.

Currently Ramakanth Thumrugoti's works will be showcased and auctioned amidst royalty and the elite in the ballroom of the famed Burj al Arab in Dubai on February 13. The painting ‘'The Ecstasy of Untethered Love', was selected for auctioning by a committee of the Children's Hope Foundation (CHF), whose patrons include president of Dubai Aviation Authority Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and the Duke of Northumberland, among others. The semi abstract work with the one line text – Unmindful of what is right - is touching to say the least – the colours of love, ecstasy and abandon get a whole new meaning when seen in the context of Ramakant’s words.