Ramanathan (RM.) Palaniapana was all 13 years old when he first watched the 1950 film in World War II, Berlin collapse. He does not remember who was fighting with who and why. What he knew that the film ended with the collapse of a building – which he would later realize that there is a richstag, being shot continuously for two consecutive nights.

“What was really fascinated by me was the speed of the aircraft within a limited cinematic location. I was very interested in the drama behind the aircraft movement. I reacted deeply to the science behind the flight, “Palaniapapan says, one of the major modernists in Indian art today. There was a passion with war films as long as the artist of Devkottai started a college in Chennai.

As a child, big questions about the universe plagued his young mind; Increasing its curiosity and many intelligent realities of the world. “I felt that I wanted to be a scientist,” the artists remember, surrounded by more than 130 sets of artifacts spread almost half a century, which today make his predecessor in the Kadambari and Varja Galliaries of the Dakshin Parent Museum. “There was always any kind of inquiries – how machines work, how things go on, and even some discussions on culture. I used to discuss it a lot with my grandfather. The cosmic appearance is not only out, it is also within itself. ,

A work titled a trail in future – 2 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

While science, astronomy and mathematics captured most of their minds as a boy, architecture soon joined the list. He moved to Chennai for expertise in architecture, but enrolled in Government College of Arts, Chennai. “I tried to learn many things from myself and I was inspired by Masters.” But realism ruled her mind. Outdoor sketching, and capturing structural realities became his favorite pastime: Mamlapuram and its architecture dominated their initial practice, of which figs are part of the predetermines spread in two galleries.

“I started understanding the concept of positive and negative place in college. It was interesting to understand the structural solidarity and the distance and shapes within the space. Even if it is only a small part of our study, for years, it has become a focal point of my practice, ”he says. This appears heavy in their signature line drawings that detect spirituality. Geometry and direction is at the core of these canvas which is bound to be with the coordinates of direction or geographical markers.

Calling, like this writer, some work, especially may be very well confused with technical drawing of machine decoding science behind the flight. In a close look, rubber stamps, seals and textured materials are revealed in some earlier works. His flying man series (1982) captures his innumerable passion within a single frame.

New Berlin Page VII and VIII | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A suspended ladder in complicated colors of midnight is a standout canvas in the Kadambari gallery. Palaniappan recalls its original story. “one day [from college]We went to a restaurant inside the picnic hotel (which was later demolished), which had a very elegant ladder. When I saw that many people run the stairs, in their imagination, the ladder started swimming. This was the first time I could imagine something for this detail. I was very happy that day! I named the dancing steps on my birthday. “But for Palaniapas, the cup is never half full. He cannot help, but wonder what happens when the cup is half empty. And thus black steps came to hell, a deep expression of previous mysterious work. The philosophy of Palaniappan is operated in this dialecticalism, which is why most of their essences are presented in the pairs and series.

In the middle of about two decades, his artistic Sojorn took a backseat when he was prepared as the Regional Secretary of the Central Fine Black Academy in Chennai, as well as Lucknow.

Richstag call

In 1999, Palaniappan’s visit to Berlin was a psychological release. Here he was finally feeling the physical place that he often tried to make an understanding in his early days. In one of his letters, he writes, “The last day around the afternoon [April] 29th, I was going by bus, and suddenly it was … Rechstag! I got out of the bus, went close to the building, which was in the middle of a frenzied construction activity, surrounded by many crane and other building equipment. ,

He returned to take pictures and bring about war intentionally about the same evening. This included in the abstract explores of line and movement, and mixed media work currently in mixed media work to draw similarities in Berlin’s photographs. The New Berlin – On Process Series, Aaj Tak, is one of the most popular bodies of his work.

Berlin/E effect 2000 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Important moments in world politics often inspire artists. For example, 40,000 sketches and pictures were formed due to the attack of the World Trade Center.

However, in the serpent, while spiritual exploration continued, colors and textures developed.

In this huge performance, chronic takes a backseat. Why? “For me, philosophy is very important. In this show, you are searching for an infinite place, not necessarily outwards but also within yourself. This is an endless process for me, and movement here is the only physical reality. ,

Map of the invisible, a retrospective of RM. Palaniappan is looking at Varja Art Gallery and Kadambari Art Gallery in Dakshinich till 31 March.

A work called Mistical Truth. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement