She was right. Rathnam’s works have a way of captivating the viewer. His photographs capture everyday life in an intriguing way and his paintings make you marvel at his unique technique. Rathnam was born in Nuzvid in Andhra Pradesh, India and took a liking for the arts from a young age. Although his art materials were quite limited, he made every effort to express himself creatively, often making pencil sketches of the movie posters he would see. Rathnam’s interest in visual arts remained as he grew older, but not having very many art schools in the area limited his scope. He went after the next great option, a school in Pune focusing on industrial arts. This, still, would not provide the artistic enrichment Rathnam sought and one year later, he returned home to attend nursing school. This decision ultimately led him to be a school nurse in Andhra Pradesh and Bangalore. He not only treated the children there, but also had the opportunity educate them about the arts. Later, he and his wife, both nurses, opted to move to Nepal and continue their lives in a new surrounding.
As the years went on, Rathnam’s itch to travel led him to make his home in the United States in 1972. He got a job as a nurse at a local hospital in St. Joseph, Michigan. It was when he heard about India’s plight with AIDS that he decided to go to India the very next day to help educate others about this disease. Rathnam eventually decided to leave his nursing career to become an educator on this topic, holding informational meetings about AIDS prevention and treatment in India. Ultimately, this was the foundation for the start of “Let’s Get Involved,” a non-profit that Rathnam uses to help educate others about AIDS, and also works to provide for children who have been impacted by the disease. While this took up much of his time, Rathnam realized that he needed to do something to fill the time when he was not India and this is where his endeavors as an artist began.
He has made every effort to learn more about art and share it with those he meets, even taking a few art history courses here in the United States to expand his knowledge of the subject. During my conversation with him, he declares that he used to hate Picasso because the paintings just did not fit with his ideals of art. His study of multiple artists has changed this view. Rathnam went onto state that Picasso’s challenging the question of “what is art?” is truly admirable. Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo also rank among his favorite artists. In terms of his own artwork, Rathnam found inspiration from more than just movie posters. His life in India essentially surrounded him with colors. As an artist, the question of how to use this color in his own work inspired him to photograph and paint in the way he does. In the US, Rathnam’s work received a warm welcome, as it was new and exciting compared to what was typically presented in local art shows.
KV Rathnam’s interest in photography began with the purchase of a camera in Nepal. Since then, he has avidly captured the culture of India. As we toured the halls of the Box Factory for the Arts, he mentions that these images are a reflection of growing up in India. The first image is one of a woman dressed in clashing colors with a large nose ring. The colors are off setting and gaudy, yet the intensity of the woman’s face as she stares into the camera pulls the viewer in. Another image illustrates gathered fishing boats, each spectacularly decorated with vivid paints. Another, pulled from his portfolio, captures a woman working to catch fish, dressed in a bright blue sari with a red border. Rathnam explains that his intention to catch people dressed in their native clothing, going about their everyday business. The marketplace is another location he wants to photograph, as it allows for him to capture the remarkable in the mundane. He hopes to return to India to continue this photography, seeking to snap pictures of North Indian culture, Sikhs who dress very traditionally and portraits of the elderly and young children.
Abstract paintings also line the walls outside of his framing studio, with jarring colors mixed on a canvas. The process for creating these paintings, he says, comes from pouring paint onto the canvas then manipulating the paint by rotating the surface.
Not a single paintbrush is used. Even his signature is meticulously drizzled onto the painting on all four sides, thus allowing those who show his artwork to choose the way to display the work in the way it speaks to them. In fact, Rathnam makes clear that he wants to know how the work speaks to his viewers. He mentions that a mauve blob of acrylic paint appears to be an American buffalo running, but proceeds to state that it is up to the viewer to interpret what is on the canvas. Rathnam offers a rather humorous response to the question of why he decided to paint, claiming that, “In India, people are teaching monkeys to paint…If monkeys can paint, and elephants can paint, why can’t I paint?” As our interview comes to a close, I ask him about the future of South Asian art in the United States. He replies that he wants the younger generation to understand that there is so much creativity that they are bringing to the table and he hopes that South Asians will try to enter the art world in the future by displaying their work.
Whether it’s the swirls of color in his paintings, or the eye contact you make with the people in his photographs, Rathnam’s work is hard to ignore. KV Rathnam’s purpose in creating these works is to bring the sights and sounds of India to the United States. He seeks to bring back memories for people like my parents and grandparents, and introduce a new world of vibrant culture to those of us born and brought up in the United States.
Indrani Saha is a SAADA Digital Archive Intern for Fall 2012. Learn more about Indrani and her project on our blog.
