"I am indebted to Nandalal Bose for my development as an artist and a painter. I believe he was the greatest intellectual ever to be born in India. His contribution to philosophy, art and particular painting has never been surpassed by any other artist." --- A. Ramachandran. He was born in 1935. He obtained his graduation in Malayalam Literature from Kerala University. Afterwards, he went to the illustrious Visva Bharati University in Santiniketan to study fine arts. A. Ramachandran uses oil as the medium of his creation on canvas. Presently he lives and works from New Delhi and Kochi.
In the beginning A. Ramachandran used to portray the expressionist style, which touchingly reflected the anxiety of urban life. Kerala murals, Nathdwara paintings and Ajanta murals also influenced his paintings. As he says, "There is a certain primacy of line and a decorative element or alankarik in Indian paintings and you can see their use in my works". His creation `Yayati`, is considered the landmark of his uprising. He categorises himself as the modern Indian painter. As he vouches on behalf of being the modern Indian painter, "I don`t use religious images which are such a huge part of Indian art. In fact, I introduce my own iconic images, like any other modernist would do. Only, my figures are more in line with Indian imagery which you find in old caves and temples."
This illustrious artist has held several solo shows. Some of the admirable are-- in 2002 Exhibition of Watercolors, by Fine Arts Resource at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai; in 2001 `Imagined Territory`, paintings, drawings and sculpture, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi; in 1998 `Icons of the Raw Earth, Part-I`, Shridharani Gallery, New Delhi; Part-II, Art Today, New Delhi; in 1998 Gallerie Ganesha, New Delhi; in 1997 `The Lotus Pond at Obeshwar`, organised by Kala Yatra, Sista`s Art Gallery, Bangalore; in 1996 Paintings and Watercolors, Arks Gallery, London; in 1994 `Reality in Search of Myth`, organised by Kala Yatra, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi; in 1991 `Urvashi Pururavas and the Lotus Pond`, Shridharani Gallery, New Delhi; in 1991 Paintings and Watercolors, Kala Yatra, Bangalore; in 1984 `Water Bodies `,Lalit Kala Studios`, Garhi; in 1981 `Puppet Theatre`, Dhoomimal Gallery, New Delhi; in 1979- 21 `Portfolios of Etchings`, sponsored by SHAOOR, Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai; in 1978 `Retrospective`, organised by Kumar Gallery, Hansalaya, New Delhi; in the years 1977,75,70,68,67,66 Kumar Gallery, New Delhi; in 2004 Retrospective by Vadehra Art Gallery at National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; in 1983 `Retrospective`, by Kumar Gallery, Art Heritage, New Delhi at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai; in 2003 `Celebration of Color`, organized by Vadehra Art Gallery and The Times of India, Mumbai and New Delhi; in 2003 `Pictorial Transformations`, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi; in 2002 `Yayati`, Art Heritage, New Delhi; in 2000 `Point Counterpoint`, Gallery Espace, New Delhi; in 1997 `Colors of Independence`, organised by Centre of International Modern Art (CIMA), National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi and Centre of International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata; in 1997 `Major Trends of Indian Art : 50th Anniversary of Indian Independence`, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi; in 1997 `Contemporary Indian Art : Rediscovering the Roots`, by Lalit Kala Akademi at Lima, Peru; in 1997 `Indian Contemporary Art : Post Independence`, by Vadehra Art Gallery at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi; in 1996 `Contemporary Indian Painters`, organised by Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai and New Delhi; in 1996 `Chamatkara, Myth and Magic in Indian Art`, organised by Centre of International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata at Whitleys Art Gallery, London; in 1995 Inaugural Exhibition, Art Today, New Delhi; in 1994 `Drawing 94`, organised by Gallery Espace, All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi; in 1994 `Review 1930-1993 from NGMA Collection`, National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi; in 1993 `Wounds`, organised by Centre of International Modern Art (CIMA), Kolkata, in Mumbai, New Delhi and Kolkata; in 1992 `Silver Jubilee Exhibition of Birla Academy of Art and Culture`, Kolkata; in 1991 `Masters`, organised by Vadehra Art Gallery, in Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai; in 1990 `Art Mosaic`, Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata; in 1989 `Nature`, organised by Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi; in 1987 `Festival of India`, Coups de Coeur, Geneva; in 1986 `Contemporary Indian Painting`, Frankfurt Book Fair, Germany; in 1985 `India in Print`, Tropen Museum Amsterdam, Netherlands; in 1982 `Contemporary Indian Art`, Royal Academy of Arts, England; in 1982 `India, Myth and Reality`, Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, England; in 1982 `Modern Indian Painting`, Washington; in 1982 `Indische Kunst Heute`, Federal Republic of Germany; in 1982 Inaugural Exhibition, Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal; in 1982 `Indian Painting Today`, Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai and Asian Art, Bangladesh; in 1980 Silver Jubilee Exhibition of Paintings in Miniature Format, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata; in 1979 Silver Jubilee Exhibition of Sculptures of Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata; in 1977 `Pictorial Space`,
Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi; in 1976 25th Pugwash Conference, Chennai; in 1973 `Contemporary Indian Painting`, 25th Anniversary of Indian Independence, Washington, Los Angeles, Toronto; in 1972 `Art Now`, Kunika Chemould Gallery, New Delhi; in 1972 `Drawings`, Kunika Chemould Gallery, New Delhi; in 1972 `25 Years of Indian Art`, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi; in 1970 `Contemporary Indian Painting`, Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo and Kyoto Municipal Museum, Japan; in 1970 `Indian Painters and Sculptures 1970`, Kunika Chemould Gallery, New Delhi; in 1969 `Contemporary Indian Painting`, Australia; in 1969 `Indian Painters 69`, Max Muller Bhavan and Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Kolkata; in 1966 Kumar Gallery, New Delhi; in 1966 `Ten Indian Painters`, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and New Jersey State Museum, USA; in 1963 All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi; in 1986 Havana Biennale, Cuba; in 1979 Sao Paulo Biennale, Brazil; in 1978 Triennale India Restrospike, Federal Republic of Germany; in 1974 Menton Biennale, France; in 1971 `Contemporary Indian Painting`, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador in Brazil and Venezuela; in 1971 Triennale-II, India and National Exhibition of Art, New Delhi; in 1968 Triennale-I, India; in 1967 Tokyo Biennale, Japan; in 1968 Triennale-I, India.
As acknowledgement to such a talent, A. Ramachandran has been conferred honours like- Padma Bhushan in 2005, Government of India; Raja Ravi Verma Puraskar in 2003, Government of Kerala; Manaviyam Award in 2001, Manaviyam Cultural Mission, Government of Kerala; Gagan-Abani Puraskar in 2000, Viswa Bharati University; Parishad Sanman in 1991, Sahitya Kala Parishad, New Delhi; Noma Award for Children`s Picture Book Illustration in 1980; Noma Award for Children`s Picture Book Illustration from Japan in 1978; National Award for Painting, in the years 1973 & 69, New Delhi.
