A traditional art form that once graced the temples and palaces of the centuries-old Wodeyar empire, the intricate Mysore style of painting, which is found to be on the decline has found an active advocate in artist Shobabna Udayasankar.
Shobabana, a recipient of the Karnataka Lalitkala Akademi Millenium award is showcasing "Royal Art" a collection of paintings with focus on the lesser-known traditional Mysore school of art, a stream that has till recently remained in the shadow of its more common sister art form, the Tanjore art.
"Our main purpose is to popularise this art form. We want people to know and remember this art form. We do not want profits. We just want people to know about the richness of this form," says Krishna Udayasankar, daughter of Shobabana Udayasankar.
An expert especially in the extremely minute and intricate 'gesso' work that is used to create an embossed effect on the paintings, Shobana says her mission is to revive interest in the Mysore style by making it accessible and relevant to contemporary audience.
Over the past 20 years the artist has been receiving training under the master artist Dundaraja as well as advanced training under the renowned Mysore royal palace artist and curator, the 90-year-old Ramanarasaiah.
Talking about the speciality of Mysore paintings, Krishna says, "Mysore paintings are done with gold foil. It is very intricate and detailed. It preserves a plethora of knowledge and has many things to convey to the audience."
The collection of paintings presented in The Royal Art mostly comprise representations of events occurring in spiritual and mythological texts.
"Mythology is the mainstay of Mysore paintings. I think subject and art form should complement each other. Mythological characters can be brilliantly depicted through Mysore paintings. But I am willing to push the boundaries by representing mythology in innovative and expansive ways. We have paintings where Rama and Sita are depicted in Thai style," says Krishna.
