TERROR STRUCK
There is no disputing the fact that Ratheesh T’s paintings are born out of an unlikely alliance between the picturesque landscapes and bustling townscapes of his native Kerala – for the tension between tradition and modernity is palpable in the concerns he explores. Environmental degradation and social instability are evidently major issues that disturb him and his hyper-realistic paintings place them centerstage through the juxtaposition of unrelated backdrops and colourful characters in his dramatic compositions. The artist distances himself from the victims of discrimination and degradation in order to draw himself closer to his vision. Using the tools of fantasy along with allegory and parody, he wields together two separate worlds to conjure up a reality of his own – his emotion-laden brush building up vivid images that are menacing even as they seem compassionate, leading one to wonder if these are the artist’s dreams… or nightmares. Jitish Kallat said in the catalogue essay of the group show Min(e)dscapes, featuring Ratheesh T. with Anil Kumar Janardhanan and Prajakta Palav at Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke last year: “In these dark brooding pictures distanced from the rays of the sun, activities as varied as tending to cattle or going to battle are overcast by an interrogating stillness.” The questioning stance still remains, as is evident from his recent oils on canvas.
At Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Mumbai, from December 4 to January 5.

REAL-LIFE DRAMA
Over the past 33 years, Sudhir Patwardhan’s pencil and brush strokes have captured distinctive and universal themes that emerge from the theatre of life as lived by the working classes. The urban landscape filled with construction sites, suburban trains, sleepy cafes and busy streets invariably forms the backdrop against which the heroes of his narratives act out their chosen roles…. All this and more, we can expect to see again in his recent paintings and drawings. The urban dweller makes a fascinating case study when held under the microscopic gaze of the artist who once was a radiologist. This is truly as real as it gets.
At Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, from November 15 to 28 and at Jehangir Art Gallery from December 3 to December 9, the show subsequently moves to Kolkata, New Delhi and Vadodara.