An evening visit to the Kabini forest, some deft camera work, one-and-a-half months of laborious oil painting and tonnes of patience... that’s what took Mysuru-based artist Gangadhar to create the artwork that went for a whopping Rs 8 lakh at Chitra Santhe on Sunday.
It was the costliest painting sold at the 19th edition of the annual art festival.
Gangadhar narrated to DH how the painting ‘Kabini Monarch’ came about.
It started with a trip to the Kabini backwaters one evening in April 2020. He spotted three tigers ensconced on a rock with a bright silhouette. He quickly clicked several pictures of the big cats. Then shot the bright background and a few things more.
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Upon his return from the forest, he edited the pictures into the shot he intended to paint.
The painting was ready in mid-2020 but it took another two years for him to find a buyer. He had to wait for Chitra Santhe for that.
“Finding the beauty in the setting, getting a good angle and good lighting... all these things play a big role in creating such artworks,” Gangadhar says. “When you have the right skills and know the technique, you would face few challenges.”
Among his other artworks are paintings of a herd of elephants and three lions, each priced at Rs 2 lakh.
The second-costliest painting at Chitra Santhe was ‘Flower with rain’ created by Coimbatore-based artist Gokulam Vijay. Priced at Rs 5 lakh, it shows a beaming flower seller and a cheerful young girl near a temple.
Thirukoilure-based artist Jai Ganesh’s painting on the beauty of nature was the third-costliest, at Rs 3 lakh.
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