Chapter XIII CULTURE - Government of Karnataka

A Handbook of Karnataka 514
is the ‘Sritatvanidhi,’ a voluminous work prepared under the patronage of
Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar. This manuscript has nine parts, dealing with
different topics, such as Shaktinidhi, Vishnunidhi, Brahmanidhi, Shivanidhi
etc. The paintings illustrate ancient knowledge in the branches of the Aagama,
Shilpas, Jyothisha, Tantra, etc. The Jaganmohana palace has portrait pictures
of kings and other nobility and pictures relating to puranic themes either in
water colour or oil colours on clothes, glasses, etc. Sundaraiah, Kondappa,
Yellappa, Durgada Venkatappa, Narasimaiah, Thippajjappa and others adopted
and developed this style. In those days, the painter prepared his own materials.
The colours were from natural sources and were of vegetable, mineral or even
of organic origin. Gold leaf was applied on the gesso works, the hallmark of
all traditional paintings of Karnataka. Besides paper, the painters painted on
glass too.
Raja Ravi Verma in the early decades of the twentieth century influenced
many painters of the day in Mysore. Introduction of the European style of
painting as a course of study at the Sri Chamarajendra Technical Institute,
Mysore, relegated the older traditional painting style to the background and
produced a new generations of painters trained in the Western mode and styles
of painting.
Many painters were trained in different centres in India and even abroad,
People like K. Venkatappa, Pavanje, K.K. Hebbar, K.S. Kulkarni, Almelkar, S.G.
Vasudev, N.S.Subbukrishna, K. Keshavaiya, S.Narasimhaswamy, S. Nanjunda
swamy, Y. Subramanyaraju, Dandavathimath and N. Hanumaiah are artists
of outstanding merit and reputation.
Among other artists of the state, S. Nanjundaswamy of Mysore has made an
impression by his renderings on all aspects of the art of painting. M. Veerappa,
S.R. Swamy and H.S. Inamati are noted for their composition drawings and
paintings, mainly of the Indian tradition. Shankar Rao Alandkar of Gulbarga
is famous for his paintings which are intense with emotions. V.R. Rao, S.S.
Kukke and R. Sitaram are adept at portrait painting. The composition paintings
of Janab Sufi and the exquisite incorporation of the art of painting in inlay
works by Mir Shoukat Ali of Mysore are memorable. Paintings of the historical
episodes by Y. Subramanya Raju show an ideal admixture of Indian and
Western systems of art. Ragamala Paintings of M.V. Minajigi and the technique
of mixing of water colours by M.A. Chetti in his paintings are superb. M.T.V.
Acharya was noted for his paintings based on puranic themes. The portrait
paintings of S.N. Swamy in oil colours and his pencil sketches, landscape
paintings of Tanksale, N. Hanumaiah and F.G. Yelavatti in water colours
delight even a novice in art. Y. Nagaraju, B.H. Ramachadra, S.R. lyenger, D.V.
Halbhavi, S.M. Pandit, S.N. Subbukrishna and M.H. Ramu were experts in
portrait painting. Rumale Channabasavaiah, Shuddodhana, Subbukrishna,
M.S. Chandrashekhar and P.R. Thippeswamy have a typical style of exposing
the rural life in varied colours. P.R. Thippeswamy was also an expert painter of
scenes of temples and shrines.
Effective line drawings and caricatures are also another aspect of the art
of Technical Education. Many private institutions have been established in