By Shastri Sanyasayya | photo credit: special arrangement
The abstract landscapes of Shastri Sanyasayya have a story of childhood. “Original drawings by children include a mountain, sun, nature, home and parents. I used to draw a lot of them.” Pointing to colorful canvases with houses symmetrically stacked on top of each other, at a gallery space in Hyderabad, the artist Says, the element of home stayed with me.An avid traveller, Sannyasya’s paintings are inspired by his memories, surroundings and travels.
Shastri Sanyasayya | photo credit: special arrangement
More than 30 of his acrylic and oil-on-canvas figurative paintings are splashes of color in this fourth solo show; He loves the dune colors, especially the pale pink, on the canvas. Done over two years, his works are inspired by his ride on the Punjagutta flyover. “The empty road during the pandemic gave a different view of the locality. I used to stop to look at the abstract building forms.
By placing one building on top of another on canvas, he explored lines with a play of color, light and spaces. The landscape is abstract but creates a sense of community, a feeling he describes as “an awareness of belonging in this society”.
Shastri Sanyasayya | photo credit: special arrangement
Skeptical craze towards art, lines and nature since childhood. “As the son of a railway worker I used to see abstract landscapes in nature and the lines that eventually appeared in images.” His mother was also an artist and an ardent lover of Anjolie Ila Menon and Amrita Sher-Gil; She painted on gramophone records and did embroidery on clothes.
, Hyderabad made me an artist (Hyderabad made me an artist),says Sanyasayya, who lived in different cities as a student and later because of his job.
Saeed bin Mohammed, the first principal of the Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University, had a view of a mural from his third-floor office window in Moazzam Jahi Market, which stirred the artist in him. He also used to visit the Golden Threshold building near his office, interact with his artist friends, read books on art and visit galleries during official visits to the cities. “After work, my life revolved around art and family. My twin interests are like railway tracks that never meet but always run parallel.
By Shastri Sanyasayya | photo credit: special arrangement
Since his first cave art on canvas in the 90s (he was inspired by human and animal forms in clay colors depicting activities such as hunting or living in groups found in the Bhimbetka caves near Bhopal), he has Have come a long way. Their inherent inquisitive nature helps them discover new art skills. “My curiosity is piqued by the department where an investigation is the order of the day. Everything begins with skepticism and even in art, I ask ‘why’ as I explore new mediums and techniques.
Shastri Sanyasayya’s solo show is going on throughout March at Gallery Space, Hyderabad.