MANISHA RAJU 

'In Search of Nostalgia'

To me painting is not just about color on a canvas. It is a spiritual journey, a divine connection between me and the Universal. My inclination and fondness to explore mythological forms keeps me connected to my roots.  

During Navratri, I read the Lakshmi Ashtakam Stotram. This inspired me to work on a series dedicated to Ma Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, good fortune, and prosperity. 

Each stanza of the Strotram, gives me an informed description of her form and  inspires  me to approach her divine form with a new perspective. 

In my paintings,  the goddess an epitome of beauty, has been portrayed with immense simplicity and grace of divinity, emphasizing her connection with all forms of nature including animals, birds and flowers. 

Attributing her with a humanlike appearance keeps me connected to the works on a spiritual level. Apart from bestowing wealth, she aids me in my spiritual awakening and keeps me grounded. 

Human beings are part of the whole universe, limited in time and space. We experience thoughts, our feelings and ourselves as something separate from the rest, a kind of delusion of the Consciousness. It is believed that with introspection the thin line between individual existence and the whole universe gets resolved. This resolution and the confrontation that comes into existence, with the self, has been interpreted in varied ways in all genres.  

My lyricism is a way of confrontation. It is a search for the self, a search for metaphysical existence beyond the physical. My narration converses with many subjects and its relation with contemporary happening.

My expression is through figuration with well-defined forms, a matrix of subtle tonal variation and minimal contributing elements. Each developing form on the canvas offers me relative space, where actual form and the space negotiate and add meaning to the surface.  

With the passage of time all that exists around tends to change. Time shapes and reshapes the spatial metaphor. This change is not only outward but inward too... Time alters metaphysical perception in context with dynamic space. Time forms a new existence with a new dimension in space. Lines and colors in interaction with space, on a surface, creates a melodious language.  

In my work there is a search for nostalgia specifically seen in Indian Mythology. Mythology has a core source of values, culture, tradition, concept, ideology and aesthetics. This has a great impact on me. These impressions negotiate with my space. My lyricism lies in the expression of mythological forms. The existing energy within the form and its linear rhythm manifests as a deep silence that reflects on the viewer's hearts. To be able to connect with that is an achievement.  

The core approach of my work deals with the Feminine. I am fascinated by the female power and its unlimited existence in every era, the way women carry themselves and their known unknown, noticed-unnoticed struggle throughout their life.   The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. Indian mythology has had a great impact on me. It is my varied approach that provides me with a different perspective to look at the same things.  Self-introspection, and closed eyes are the most distinctive features of my forms. It’s an interaction with the soul for at least a few moments to realize the origin and end of this physical body, and the existence of this endless, limitless, immortal Jiva, which exists in every human body.    

Manisha Raju is a Chennai-based artist proficient in various mediums like acrylic, soft pastels, and watercolors. She has been widely exhibited and participated in several camps, solo and group exhibitions, National and International.