Introduction:
Each and every country has an unique cultural and traditional history and many of its cultures and traditions do change as time progress. Change is constant and so does every cultures and traditions.Being non-independent entities, society creates them. The people of each and every country contribute towards cultures in their own way. If we open the historical records we see the passion and reason behind such transitional events, which people mostly forgot in the ravages of time and in due course lost. Can a mother forgot her son’s name? As impossible it sounds, the land of Madurai, similarly cannot forgot her son R. krishna Rao.
Early Days
He did his schooling from Sethupathi High School, Madurai and came to Chennai (earlier known as Madras) in the year 1938 and joined the office of M/s. Chitale & Sons as an assistant. He had high regards towards Mr. Chitale and his family members. He used to reminisce and share some interesting incidents that happened in M/s. Chitale office with his family members for a long time.
Second world war
In the year 1942, during the period of World War II a person were shifted from city to other places for safety reasons, but Krishna Rao prefered to stay in the city and was working as part time employee with a half-a-day salary. During this time, he joined School of Arts and crafts for a five year Diploma course in Fine Arts and he was outstanding in learning art from his master and secured first class, due to this outstanding talent in art, he was given 2 years exemption and finished the course in 3 years in flying colors. Most of his paintings had themes related to landscapes, cattle, temples in and around Madurai in the style of Impressionism and post- Impressionism.
Career
In 1945, two years before India got independence; he joined the war publicity department and created many wonderful posters. Later, in 1948 he joined as a faculty in the School of the Arts and Crafts and got appointed as the Head of the Department of commercial art. He also worked as a textile designer in a firm in Tondiarpet, in Chennai, from 1946 – 1948.
Family
In 1947 the couple had their first baby girl and named her Kamala, meaning lotus in Sanskrit. In 1949, the couple had their first son and named him Jayachandar, who is currently a contemporary artist in Chennai. There is a small anecdote behind the naming of their second son as Srichandar. When the artist was in Benaras (also known as Kasi or Varanasi) and enjoying a boat ride on the river Ganga, he lost his balance and fell into the flowing water. A person by name Sri Chand rescued him and thus saved his life. As a thanksgiving gesture the artist promised that he will name the next child, if it was a boy, as Sri Chander and thanked him. And in 1952, when the couple had their third son he remembered his promise and named the child Sri Chander. They had their youngest son Balachander in the year 1954
Reaching the peaks
The year 1949 was considered by him as one of his milestones, when he designed the monogram for Tamil Nadu state replacing the colonial symbol used even after India’s Independence. In 1965, he was promoted as vice-principal and transferred to Government School of Art and Crafts, Kumbakonam, in Tamil Nadu. In 1968, he became the Principal of College of Arts and Crafts and had retired in 1971. Few years from retirement, in 1974, he became the Director of the Art Department at Kalakshetra, founded by Padma Bhushan Rukmini Devi Arundale. The artist reached the heavenly abode on 31st July 2006.
Awards
The artist was awarded a fellowship by Tamil Nadu Ovia Nunkalai Kuzhu in 1980. And in 1985 he was awarded the title of Veteran Artist by All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AIFACS), New Delhi. In 1991, he was honored with the most prestigious award Kala Vibhusan by the then Prime Minister of India Shri. Chandra Shekhar Singh. The world famous philosophical center of Kanchi Kamakshi peetham, Kanchipuram awarded the artist the title of Chitra Kala Sagar on 1st January 1995.
Commissions Works
Conceived and designed the temple gopuram emblem of the Government of Tamil Nadu (1948).
Designed the Government of Tamil Nadu raffle ticket with the motif of a boy raising his right hand (1971).
Organised and worked, in an honorary capacity, for many district level art organisations (Padappai, Chennai, Vellore, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, Tirunelveli and Kalakuruchi).
Exhibitions
Participiated in many group shows and one man shows. One of the most important exhibition in his career was the Retrospective held in Chennai in the year 1995.
A web site has been inagurated in the artist’s name on 4th November 2009 the same day when the artist was born. Visit www.artistrkrishnarao.com and do visit gallery of paintings and his torch bearers…
