BADRI NARAYAN (1929)
Badri Narayan was born in 1929 in Andhra Pradesh. A self-taught
artist, Narayan has been painting for over 45 years. During this
time he has worked as an art teacher and an artist, but has
always remained a deeply introspective individual. This
self-reflection and autobiographical perspective is the most
constant theme in Narayan's work. The artist’s paintings are
narrative, and titles like ‘Queen Khemsa's ‘Dream of Hamsa’ and
‘Meeting at Midstream’ are the starting points from where one
must unravel the complexities presented by the paintings, in
order to interpret and understand them. Symbolism is a recurring
feature of his works, though sometimes he also uses popular
icons of Indian culture like Ganesha. He explains, "I have
picked up the imagery that surrounds me, the one I am born into,
and it comes naturally."
Narayan believes in the two-dimensionality of painting, and
prefers to work in a smaller format; one that he finds practical
and well suited for the watercolours that have been his
preferred medium for several years. The artist lives and works
in Mumbai.
