Shanmugasundaram’s ‘Amour’.
An artist never knows when, where and what can be the source of his inspiration. Often, that inspiration can lead to a new creative idea.
Shanmugasundaram, influenced by French artist Auguste Rodin, conceptualized a thematic dance performance based on the sculptor and his works through Bharatanatyam. This production, titled ‘Amour’, which premiered in 2006, was recently presented once again at the Alliance Francaise.
A brief Mallari set the tone for the Bharatiyar song, ‘Payum Oli Nee Enakku’, taking references from Rodin’s sculptures, ‘Inferno’ and ‘The Thinker’. This creation explored the power of thought expressed in poetry and sculptures.
The tumultuous relationship between Rodin and his student and collaborator Camille Claudel provided scope for the depiction of a range of emotions such as love, passion, despair and self-destruction. Choosing to stay in his comfort zone, Shanmugasundaram selected the Pantuvarali song ‘Netru Varen Endru’ to portray the two sculptors and their passion. While the song narrated the typical hero-heroine love story through traditional imagery, Shanmugasundaram concluded the piece with Rodin’s iconic sculpture ‘The Kiss’.
mix of art forms
Interestingly, Rodin is said to have been so moved by the image of Nataraja that he wrote Dance of Shiva in which he explained how dance, poetry and sculpture are interrelated. This found expression in Shanmugasundaram’s ‘Kunitha Puruvam’, where he described the form of the lord of the dance.
It is not often that you come across productions based on interdisciplinary inspiration, but such concepts call for a thorough study of the art forms involved and free expression. Shanmugasundaram could have pushed the boundaries of his art a little further to establish a connection between dance and sculpture.
For example, when choosing to depict a famous piece like ‘The Kiss’ known for its grandeur and abstraction, the artist should have explored the vocabulary of the movement. Regular communicators cannot express the emotions depicted in the sculptures. The choice of songs from the traditional dance repertoire also seemed out of place, and the singer’s high-decibel singing disrupted the flow of the visuals. With attention to detail the display could have been well sculpted.
Chennai based critic writes on classical dance.