P Gnana: Portraying unconditional love

The nostalgia of childhood, the quiet beauty of pastoral life and the timelessness of a mother’s love have been artist P Gnana’s constant muse, evolving over the years to go beyond the obvious into a more metaphysical dimension.

“I am close to my mom and growing up in my hometown of Neyveli, I would see her go about her daily chores. We had cows at home and my fascination with these gentle creatures began then. These recollections came back to me when I was working on relationship-based paintings,” he says, adding that in Singapore, he is known as ‘the artist who paints cows.’

Artist P Gnana
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

An artist for 25 years, Gnana not only paints but also sculpts, creating figurines and installations using recycled material and other sustainable medium. With time, his work has become known for the use of industrial material alongside conventional media such as bronze and canvas.

“I don’t restrict myself to one medium and enjoy experimenting. I don’t buy my raw material at art supply stores either — I go to hardware stores. and cosmetic shops to source different equipment, colours and tones. Since I like to try new methods, I prefer to mix different media for my creations — paper, enamel paints, sand to bring texture to my collages,” says the artist, who adds that he is constantly in search of the unusual, hoping something better comes out of his paintings.

Gift of Life by artist P Gnana
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Gnana says his work is minimalistic and does not follow realistic form. “There won’t be any detailed features in the faces seen in my paintings. The eyes are mostly closed to hold one’s attention and though there is no eye contact, the painting still has emotional depth. I leave it to the viewers to interpret what the subjects are feeling — whether they are happy, sad or pensive.”

“Though I am inspired by my surroundings, I don’t portray them as such. I nurture them in my mind and heart, delivering them in my own language as a minimalised subject. Not as an exact replica, but my version of life and love.”

Originally from Neyvelli in Tamil Nadu, Gnana is a mechanical engineer who gave up his profession and took up a formal education in art from the LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore.

Joint Decision by artist P Gnana
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

For his series ‘Unconditional Love,’ Gnana has used a lot of fabric and paper on canvas to create a layered effect with oil and acrylic paints. “To seal the work and protect the fabric, I use Vietnamese lacquer which is used in art work. It gives a clear, glass-like finish to a piece.”

While ‘Unconditional Love’ is primarily about the bond between a mother and child, it is also about relationships. “Lovers, husbands, wives, parents, brothers and sisters, family — basically my work centres around relationships.

Gnana says his childhood memories spurred him into creating ‘The Eternal Cow’ series that not only depicts the relationship between human beings, but also looks at their connection with Nature. He adds that he relies on his surroundings and what he sees around him, rather than his imagination to create his masterpieces.

Eternal Companion by artist P Gnana
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Gnana says there were a lot of pets in his childhood home and while he was fond of them, their passing used to upset him no end. “Once my parrot was attacked by my cat. I’ve since learned not to get too emotionally attached to pets and at the same time, not be partial or biased, treating everyone around me equally.”

The ‘Unconditional Love’ series, Gnana’s first solo show in Bengaluru, comprises 30 paintings apart from other sculptures and installations which will be on sale, with prices ranging between ₹ 18,000 and ₹ 9 lakh.

‘Unconditional Love’ by artist P Gnana 52 will go on display at Art Houz, Bengaluru from June 24-30.