R. Puttaraju and his gift

I am no great connoisseur of art. However, whenever opportunity presents itself to see art works and paintings, I simply give in. This is because of my dalliance in advertising for some years in Mumbai and Pune where I learnt the difference between fine arts and commercial arts. While the former is for the soul, the latter is for stomach. Advertising agencies are the practitioners of commercial art, to sell products and services. Fine art is of metaphysical in character, no matter whatever the form — abstract, surreal, still life, cubism, portrait etc.

Before the advent of photography, painting was the only way to capture the images of natural scenes, of flora and fauna and human beings. Portrait painting was thus patronised by Royal Courts and the aristocracy. If one is art, the other is craft; some times the dividing line becomes blurred so much so the practitioners of both are called artists.

On 2nd March 2014 I had been to Ramsons Kala Pratishtana’s Pratima Gallery of R.G. Singh, city’s art collector and patron of artists known to encourage specially Karnataka artists. As I know, because of him some unknown have become known and some in strained financial position got relief. The occasion was a lecture on Ganjifa Raghupati Bhatta’s works on Ram Setu. It was a select gathering of artists from city and art lovers. Krishna Shetty, former Chairman of Karnataka Lalith Kala Academy, was the speaker on the subject. Among the artists present was artist R. Puttaraju, a product of the renowned Chamaraja Technical Institute (CTI) on Sayyaji Rao Road, the original avatar of the present CAVA in the same place. He had specialised in inlay works, marquetry and fine arts.

On 28th April 2014 I was again at the Pratima Gallery to inaugurate ‘Kuncha Bhramari,’ an exhibition of late Mukta Venkatesh’s art works of flowers with her daughter, equally talented Mrs. Girija Madhavan and her husband, former Ambassador A. Madhavan. After the vote of thanks, R.G. Singh said he would like me to meet one famous artist R. Puttaraju. To my surprise he was there holding what I thought was an inlay work. He seemed much delighted to meet me, garlanded me and presented a framed art work of my portrait in profile. R.G. Singh explained the work was not inlay but known as marquetry, created by inlaying wood pieces one above the other creating the image with raised surface. I had not seen this kind of work before. It is unlike the usual inlay works we see in handicraft shops.

I then asked R.G. Singh out of sheer curiosity, why this special affection. And thereby hangs a tale. I have to narrate this tale even at the risk of being immodest writing about myself.

But before I come to that, a brief bio of Puttaraju who hails from Mulloor, a non-descript village near Kollegal.

Early in his childhood, he was influenced by the oil paintings and beautiful statues at the St. Francis Assisi Church at Kollegal which he used to visit regularly. His sketches of biblical stories at the Sunday classes at the Church caught the eye of a German priest, father Handy Kohrt, who encouraged the lad to draw more.

In 1956, Father Kohrt persuaded Puttaraju’s parents to send him to CTI to be trained in art. Puttaraju finished the inlay certificate course in four years. He took up another five-year diploma course in fine arts at CTI. He stood first in the class all four years.

All the while he was getting nostalgic about the church back home in Kollegal. He wanted to create something new in inlay. He extensively experimented with wood collage and in 1968 created a panel ‘Submission with devotion’. This was the first ever relief work in wood collage; it fetched him the coveted first prize at the Mysore Dasara Exhibition.

Puttaraju’s friend who went to Madras coaxed Puttaraju to join him. Thus Puttaraju came to Madras in 1969 and was supplying his inlay creations to Victoria Technical Institute. He worked in Madras Film industry as an assistant art director and later set up a small workshop in Madras. In 1993, Puttaraju returned to Mysore and in 1995 he married Philomena who was working as a teacher.

In 2003, a person took all of Puttaraju’s works promising to pay handsomely but he neither paid nor returned the artefacts. His house at Tilaknagar, workshop and a thriving business of inlay handicrafts, everything was lost during that financial crisis. Now Puttaraju lives in a rented house and along with his wife and three assistants toying to reinvent himself at age 76.

It is said that luck is when opportunity meets preparedness. Puttaraju was all prepared with talent and skill but opportunity eluded him many times. One example is when an invitation to teach his technique and hold exhibition of his creations, specially wooden collages, came from Chicago which was sent to St. Philomena’s hostel address in Mysore but he was in Madras. He received the invitation one-and-a-half years too late. Like most artists his life too seems chequered.

However, the star of Puttaraju seems to have brightened after he came in contact with R.G. Singh. He was honoured with Rotary Ramsons Kala Pratishtana Award in June 2005. But the higher award awaited in 2008 when he received the much coveted Rajyotsava Award from the Karnataka Government.

To revert to where I left off at Pratima Gallery, I wanted to know why Puttaraju chose me for his gift.

R.G. Singh had commissioned Puttaraju to recreate some of Raja Ravi Verma’s more celebrated paintings into inlay — marquetry work — some years ago. This had projected Puttaraju as an important artist among the art community in Karnataka and also abroad. However, the critical acclaim he received was possible mainly because of Star of Mysore and Mysooru Mithra, which published his works with a detailed report.

The people of Kollegal who had forgotten their native son all these years suddenly discovered him through Mysooru Mithra and wanted to honour their famous son. So it was, Puttaraju was felicitated, after being taken in a procession, by placing a silver crown on his head and presenting a citation.

Eversince that day, R.G. Singh told me, Puttaraju wanted to personally thank me. An opportunity presented itself when he saw me at Pratima Gallery on March 2, 2014. I was photographed that evening very ‘discretely’ specially for creating my profile in marquetry. So it was, I was presented with his masterpiece of my marquetry image on Apr. 28. Does it look like me? I asked R.G. Singh and Raghupathi Bhatta. Absolutely, they said in chorus.

Thank you Puttaraju. May your star keep glowing bright always with support from patrons like R.G. Singh.

e-mail: kbg@starofmysore.com

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Abracadabra….Abracadabra / by K. B . Ganapathy / May 08th, 2014