P. Krishnamurthy: Selected Works

This image gallery presents the selected drawings and paintings of artist P. Krishnamurthy's early period. Studying Krishnamurthy's early paintings and drawings is useful for us to understand how the regional aesthetics shaped the formation of early modernism in the artistry of the Madras Art Movement. Krishnamurthy drew inspiration for his fluid and dynamic line from the dance postures of  South Indian temple sculptures. Preferring to work with natural colours and tempera because of the sense of earthiness the media offered, Krishnamurthy evoked and presented the charm of the soil. He carried the aesthetics of his lines and colours to sari designs and later on to the stunning backdrops of the films for which he worked as an art director. Krishnamurthy's knowledge of the materials and the media are amply evident in the drawings and paintings presented in this image gallery.