Bangalore-based artist Shobana Udayshankar triumphantly talks about her patience and knowledge of scripture and mythology. You need it if you want good results,especially in Mysore Art. Its a style which relies on intricacies, says Udayshankar,who has been working for 25 years with Mysore Art,a fading style of paintings. Centuries ago,these paintings were also used in the royal palaces of Karnataka. The meticulous detailing,called ghesso,which is needed for the art form,allows for an embossed,grand effect that imitates the use of pure gold in the traditional palaces of Mysore. Udayshankars exhibition,titled The Royal Art,which has paintings from the Mysore Art on display,is currently on at Shridharni Art Gallery. I started working with Tanjore Art (a more popular sister art form),but the intimacy and detailing of Mysore paintings lured me. Ive been a convert ever since, she says. Udayshankars main goal behind the exhibition was to draw the audiences attention to an art form she considers overshadowed. The awareness is minimal,mostly because the process needs a lot of attention to detail,and patience. Both of which are lost virtues today, she adds. Udayshankar says that it is the main difference between Tanjore and Mysore Art that helped her make the switch. Tanjore Art mainly revolves around the Krishna-Radha figures,whereas Mysore Art is more varied in its subject matter, she informs. Traditionally,Tanjore Art was considered a bolder form,and still uses plaster of Paris and dramatic colours,while Mysore Art uses white-rice powder and water colours. It was Mysore Arts simplicity and intimacy that appealed to Udayshankar and she decided to learn the art form under the guidance of renowned Mysore royal palace artist and curator,Ramanarasaiah. In the year 2000,she was awarded the Millenium Artist Award by the Karnataka Lalit Kala Akademi for her art work Chamundeshwari. Ive tried to move away from only depicting religious deities,and have used Thai and Balinese dancers in the paintings, says Udayshankar. The exhibition is a collection of 32 paintings which have been created over a period of 25 years. According to Udayshankar,the idea is to bring dynamism to her exhibition by adapting non-traditional representations,and yet,she still refers to her guru and artist Dundaraja for guidance. One can experiment now because the approach to art has changed over the years,but Mysore Art is still extremely rooted in Indian tradition. The trick is to retain authenticity,while forming ones own personal style, she says. The Royal Art is on till today,at Triveni Kala Sangam,Tansen Marg. Contact: 23719470
