Ramesh Gorjala Paintings

Ramesh Gorjala was born in Srikalahasti, Andhra Pradesh. Gorjala studied Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting at Jawaharlal Technological University (JNTU), Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Gorjala is a master artist who shot to fame for the amazing handling of his subjects. His works steeped in Indian mythology reminds us of the various facets of our religion. Gorjala’s technique comes from the famous Kalamkari Crafts work that was done by Artisans of his village. Gorjala decided to use the sand as part of it on canvas. Gorjala works with a delicate and intricate technique, portraying his spiritual take on the subjects of Indian mythology through both his imagery and his process. His use of a palette dominated by gold, red and green creates a very rich and natural feel in each of his paintings, and the moods that he can create and convey add an antiquated yet contemporary dynamic to his work. Gorjala’s subjects include mainly the gods, goddesses and mythical forms of the South Asian pantheon, including Hanuman, Vishnu and Buddha and are all painted with great sensitivity and attention to detail. Gorjala does not necessarily restrict himself to a single, large protagonist in his pieces. Instead, he integrates subjects, mixing not only one figure, but multiple images all unified into a broader character. This is sometimes brought together by fragments of text, usually in the background of his surfaces, adding a new dimension to them. Another repeated element in his work is the checkerboard pattern of black and shades of white and grey in the background, adding a novel and modern twist to pieces that have a largely traditional and spiritual feel. Gorjala’s work focuses on traditional Indian heritage and culture, through sensitive and detailed mythological portrayals of various Indian gods and goddesses. Gorjala has had several solo and group exhibitions. Gorjala received the "Mahatma Gandhi Birth Centenary Memorial Award," from Victoria Technical Institute (VTI), Chennai in 2000, "State Award," from Andhra Pradesh Crafts Council and "State Award," from the A.P. Crafts Council in 2002.