Indelible impressions

When master printmaker, sculptor, and teacher Krishna Reddy passed away on August 22, 2018, at his home in Manhattan, aged 93, tributes poured in from many quarters. “Mr Reddy belonged to a generation of artists who gained international recognition after India’s independence from England in 1947,” wrote Holland Cotter in the New York Times. “Like many of his Indian colleagues, he was fully conversant with developments in contemporary European art but was working in fresh directions — demonstrating, for example, that Abstract art was not a Western invention, as it is often assumed to have been, but had distinctive sources and forms in other cultures.”

Born into a family of farmers in Nandanoor village in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, on July 15, 1925, Reddy’s education spanned varied institutions and teachers. After an early education at the Rishi Valley School, Chittoor, his formative years were spent at Visva-Bharati University’s Kala Bhavana, where he was mentored by eminent artists such as Nandalal Bose, Ram Kinker Baij, and Benode Behari Mukherjee. “Santiniketan was a divine place, the place where I learnt the most about life and art. Santiniketan was home, just as Chittoor.”

Trained as a sculptor and watercolourist, Reddy continued his education at the Slade School of Fine Art, London, where eminent sculptor Henry Moore was a visiting professor. In 1953, he received a scholarship to study under the well-known Russian-born French sculptor Ossip Zadkine in Paris. Zadkine, who induced the spirit of minimalism into Reddy’s sculpture, also introduced his ward to Stanley William Hayter, a British scientist and inventor of several print-making techniques. Fascinated by the print medium, Reddy joined Hayter’s Atelier 17, a thriving workshop where many artists, including Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, and Constantin Brancusi, visited and experimented with their practices.

Multi-faceted art

Reddy’s stay in Paris for about two decades was exceptionally productive. At Hayter’s studio, not only did Reddy learn the intricacies of printmaking, but he also innovated extensively with the medium. His multi-faceted and prolific practice produced a large body of evocative, richly coloured, and path-breaking images. His ability to infuse the prints with depth and meaning transcended cultural barriers, making his work compelling, resonant, and universal. While most of his creations were abstract, they were also philosophical explorations in which humanity and nature were inextricable and interdependent. His pioneering work involving the simultaneous colour printing technique, or the colour viscosity process, left a lasting impression.

Throughout his long and eventful life and career, Reddy maintained a healthy curiosity about styles, techniques, and materials. With strong lines, a spectrum of colours, intriguing patterns, and evocative textures, he could dwell on the infinite mysteries of nature and natural phenomena. His mastery of the intaglio medium was compounded by many life experiences and divergent conceptual ideas, resulting in deeply meditative images. His early education at the Rishi Valley School and life-long interactions with Indian philosopher, Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986), positively impacted his thought and belief in learning that went beyond academics.

Deep connections

Reddy was a passionate traveller, moving from place to place with ease and purpose. He was a robust collaborator and an enthusiastic mentor-teacher, always willing to share his thoughts and experiences with budding printmakers. “Every printmaker in India of any consequence has worked with Krishna or has been aware of his influence,” wrote art critic Richard Bartholomew, way back in 1974. “Krishna has been a splendid person as a teacher, a guide, and a pathfinder. His prints radiate his personality.”

Although he became a US citizen in 1976, Reddy maintained a deep connection with India and its art institutions, lecturing and conducting workshops in different cities. He was disappointed that printmaking was generally considered a secondary art form, not only in India but also in Europe and the US. He found great joy in working with materials in printmaking.

Reddy, who always liked to describe himself as a ‘student’, had a fascinating career of teaching, moving between India, France, Italy, California, Hawaii, and Morocco. For 40 years, he taught at New York University, where he was the only professor of colour in the department. He encouraged his students to concentrate less on technique, and more on expression. “We have to learn beyond the nature and behaviour of techniques to work with them.” Above all, he would forever cherish the wisdom imparted by his Mastermoshai, Nandalal Bose: “Don’t go for the superficial; look for depth.”  The Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (CKP), Bengaluru, was privileged to receive a collection of over 80 abstract graphic prints from Krishna Reddy. The permanent collection is open to public viewing.

Museum of Art and Photography (MAP) is currently running ‘Rhyme Unbroken: Krishna Reddy as Artist and Perpetual Student’. The exhibition is on till Jan 5, 2025.