Medium as Muse: Ravindra Reddy: A Talk by Anupa Mehta

MEDIUM AS MUSE: RAVINDRA REDDY | TALK BY ANUPA MEHTA

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Perspectives introduced by CEPT Foundation Programme gave us an opportunity to widen our thinking beyond what we see and learn.

The perspective lecture conducted by Anupa Mehta on a vivid description of the famous sculptor of Ravindra Reddy. She gave us an introduction of her and Ravindra reddy. Firstly she starts by talking about the details and the scale of what ravindra reddy makes and his thoughts about Medium as Muse.

Ravindraa Reddy is one of the most famous indian contemporary artists having his studio in Visakhapatnam. He has been a point of attraction in many of the international art auctions. He has also been participating in many exhibitions around the world. Currently he works and lives in hyderabad.

Muse means a person or personified force who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist. But Ravindra Reddy is muse in a different perspective. Mr. Reddy dont focuses on the gender/sex of the person while making the model but deep down hides the reasons behind it. He focuses on very minute details such as oily hair for a bun and the different types of venni one wears with a hair bun. He also focuses on the details of earrings and bobby pins. This reflects that the minute parts of a model makes it interesting. He not only takes inspiration from the females but also focuses on the male art. Not such that he differentiates on gender but the expressions. He focuses on the body style or the human form. Many of his sculptures focus on human postures.

He takes his inspiration from the local indian vernacularity and style that women wear. He observes the details like a bull’s eye. He simply differentiates between the castes through expressions and colors. This is what the real meaning of Medium as muse is.

Ravindra Reddy uses materials like Polyester Resin Fiberglass and also uses stone in some of his sculptures. He also covers the sculpture with different colored leaves such as golden and copper. The reason behind using fibre glass rather than stone is its nature of giving flexibility. It opens more options of creativity. Also the usage of different color pallets along with the glass showcases different concepts and thinking processes. For example one of his sculptures called Lovely is completely coloured with red with a simple white veni in her head can also showcase the

feminine power or kali mata or can be amalgamation of different concepts. He uses color in a manner that not directly points to something particular but the amalgamation of expressions. Also along with the usage of material and colors he uses scale as one of his factors to showcase his work.

One of the things which one can inspire from Ravidra Reddy is his observing patterns and the usage of different colors and material in his models.