For Singapore-based artist P Gnana, the recurring childhood memories of his mother feeding cows have transpired into sculptures of the bovine animal to such an extent that he is now known as the "painter who paints cows."
A collection of 44 paintings and 10 sculptures by the artist are part of an ongoing exhibition titled, "Emotion In Motion" at the Art Spice Gallery here.
"Cow is a part of my childhood memories where I have seen my mother feeding cows and those images started appearing in my paintings. I decided to choose it as one of the main subjects in my works. Now, in Singapore they recognise me as the painter who paints cows," says Gnana.
The artist who began his practice with the semi-figurative style, has been focusing primarily on the cow as his subject for nearly nine years now.
"Earlier my style was semi-figurative, but after the cow started recurring in my work, I realised that I wanted to continue with something that is very pure in my heart and memory," he says.
Gnana uses mixed media for his sculptures where he combines bronze with wood or steel and other found materials that he retrieves from iron scraps. For instance, instead of designing a tail for the cow, he has used an old paint brush.
"I combine old materials of the past with those of the present," he says.
The artist who grew up in Neyvelli town in Tamil Nadu, draws his inspiration from daily life around him and interpreting it to reflect in his own artworks.
"Whatever I see and notice in my daily life while passing villages or other places, I don't imitate what I see, but I bring it to my heart and give it a very stylist way of my own identity," he says.
A lot of his works at the show that depict 'mother-child'
relationship stem from his longing for his mother whom he has left behind in India after he moved to Singapore. The inevitable void that exists between the artist and his mother is depicted in a lot of his works.
"Mother and child is a very pure relationship. I was very close to my mother and after I went to Singapore for studying and then married and settled there so that yearning for her reflects in my work," he says.
Gnana, who refrains from making draft sketches for his paintings, says, his style of practicing art has a therapeutic effect on him.
"I do not do preliminary sketches when I start my paintings. It all happens in the painting. It is therapeutic. I sit in front of the empty canvas as if I am meditating and see the space. I like to transfer the whole energy into the painting or the sculpture. I want the feelings and energy to go directly into the paintings," he says.
The women in his life, the artist says, have had a lasting impact on his life and therefore, they often feature in his works.
"Women have had a powerful influence on my life. I like to bring images of my mother and sister who are very close to me in my paintings and try to appreciate those close to my heart through my art," he says.
The month-long exhibition that began on January 15 is set to continue till February 15.
