Hemalatha Senathipathi: Contemporary Lineage of Cholamandal’s Legacy
Born 1969, Hemalatha Senathipathi is Chennai based sculptor and painter. Her genes are artistically coded, being the chip of the old block, the daughter of nationally acclaimed eminent artist M. Senathipathi of the erstwhile Madras Art Movement. An artistic career spanning over three decades, she has dedicatedly worked in the medium of metal in the form of sculptures and repousse reliefs. Her recent suite of works constitutes of metal sculptures in medium size and miniature format. In early days at Cholamandal, she created jewelry and small bowls in metal with repousse work and decorated with motifs derived from Indian mythology, the favourite of course having maximum appeal for her were the Ganesha and Krishna. With experience gained in repousse and relief work, Hema’s next artistic step was to release her embedded forms and breathe life into them by making it come alive as free standing figures. It was an aesthetic motif of the peacock that she explored with panache winning her “Tamil Nadu State Award of Lalit Kala Akademi in 1991.
Hema venturing forth into constructing copper metal sculptures initially worked in free standing figurative repousse metal, then extending her art form to develop a skeletal framework by welding copper and brass rods and filling the contoured empty spaces with bright enamel colors. Her source of inspiration has been the African and tribal visual arts. Her intention was to contemporize these traditional art forms, attracted as she was by the characteristics of stylizations, accentuations and the resultant distortions, which appealed to her sensibility. The composition she constructs are constitutive of both single iconic imagery of the gods, human form, birds and animals [ ‘Bird Series’, ‘Undetachable Lovers’, ‘Factual Love Birds’, ‘Twins’ ‘Fish Series’] as well as group figurative compositions. The sculptures besides combining the binary oppositions of movement and static quality, are further enriched by the textures emerging out of her engagement with wire rods juxtaposed with repousse metal that construct her composition in a desired manner. Her two works ‘Musician with Guitar’ and ‘’Peacock” are phenomenal examples of her dexterity, artistry, brilliant craftsmanship and her creative imagery in visualizing faces.
Recognition and Honors
She received “GOVERNMENT OF TAMILNADU STATE AWARD”2019. Recently, the Govt. of Tamil Nadu bestowed the prestigious “KALAICHEMMAL AWARD 2024” as a mark of honor and recognition in the field of arts.
Chetan Katigar’s sacred stories on canvas
Chetan Katigar experiments within the genre of traditional contemporary art and draws deep inspiration from the paintings of Raja Ravi Verma. His works often focus on the Malayalam people of the 17th century, capturing their culture and way of life. His paintings depict mythological Hindu deities, legendry characters, tribal life, European influences, and themes from everyday moments.
When he began applying these techniques to Indian subjects, it resulted in distinct style of his own. His art marked a masterful play of light and shadow, a rich color palette and meticulous attention to detail in form and costume. Deeply inspired by India’s myths and epics, Chetan Katigar finds immense joy in painting pivotal moments in these timeless stories. He believes the greatest gift of the 21st century is the internet, which has expanded the reach of creative possibilities, making it easier for artists to connect with people around the world. Through his art, Chetan Katigar expresses his feelings, emotions and thoughts, celebrating beauty of nature, flora and fauna, and showing deep reverence for deities and mythology. “ Painting is not only painted canvas, it’s being filled spirit of artist” says Chetan Katigar.
Featuring Image Courtesy: Artenblu
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