Show me the man!

“I have no fear of making changes, destroying the image, etc, because the painting has a life of its own.” 
— Jackson Pollock

He is not just an artist. The legend of JMS Mani has come a long way as one of the most prolific and widely loved artists of the city. He is synonymous with the portrayal of folk from the Badami region.  Mani’s journey as an artist has been quite a story. If it hadn’t been for a Kabaddi tournament where Mani was participating, we probably wouldn’t have seen him evolve as an artist. 

That afternoon changed his life.  Mani recollects, “I took a break after playing a state level contest, and saw a group of artists paint with such passion and bumped into RM Hadpad Sir. That moment, I conveyed that I wanted to join him. He told me to come tomorrow but I ran home and was back the same day. I told him, I wouldn’t mind sleeping at the Ken School of Art.” Seeing his dedication, RM Hadpad immediately took him as his “shishya”. 

Mani’s work and life emerged from the Ken School of Art. If one has to look back at his life, his guru, RM Hadpad, the founder of Ken School, also an extraordinary teacher and a prolific artist played a crucial role in his development as an artist. Hadpad was a rare human being who did not invest in the physical structure and commerce of the art and its politics. He created a school that trained artists to look at art both as a passion and a profession. 

He was humorous and witty, an ordinary looking man who did extraordinary things, silently. And he is now alive through the many students who carry his legacy in their art practice. Ken School has often been the “gurukul for many artists. JMS Mani was soon baptised to become a part of a rather ordinary school that produced extraordinary students. Though Mani’s works have been widely revered for his rich oils, portraying folk men, women and the central figure, a Cock from Badami, Mani has been an exciting printmaker. 

Not only has he been an instrumental figure in shaping lives of many students, he has often been widely regarded for his technical perfection. He has often dabbled in figurative and abstraction with seamless ease. 

His sculptures have a sense of movement to them. Mani’s philosophy looks at work as worship, and never shies away from any challenge with respect to using his hands. Had it not been for his diligent effort, Ken School of Art wouldn’t be what it is now. His legend lives forever and Bengaluru is proud to have given birth to an artist of his stature. 

— The show is on at Gallery Time and Space till July 28.
The writer is an art  expert and curator.