One day, he cut his own canvas into four parts so that his students could paint over it. On another day, he did not turn up for the opening of his show – so posing for the mandatory pictures with Page Three invitees was certainly out of the question. Ask him why and he says that he would rather attend a workshop than a social event. He prefers the quiet of his studio in Vishakapatnam to the bustle of a big city. And even after 25 years at Andhra University’s department of Fine Arts, Ramesh Vedhanbatla or V Ramesh, as he is popularly known, still puts his teaching career before his exhibitions.

He opines, “When I came to Baroda in the 1970s it was with the sole aim of understanding, not ‘how’ but ‘what’ it was that we were going to paint. We were not taught how to do so, but our imaginations were freed. Teachers like Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, Jairam Patel and above all the late Nasreen Mohamedi never encouraged us to ‘compete’.

V Ramesh’s paintings develop a distinctive pictorial representation of desire, lust, passion and choice. Among the protagonists that inhabit his frames are the wise parrot – witness to human lust and cupidity and provider of caveats. “Most of my work is imbued with a deep personal reverence and hints at areas of faith, devotion and transcendence, but it articulates these ideas in an oblique manner, using voices from medieval poetry and imagery. I often use allegory because it refers to my concerns and what I want to express in a more poetic and potent manner. I continue to probe the idea of the ephemeral as well as evolving aspects of the self,” says Ramesh.

Though in the 1990s, the artist received several awards including the Junior and Senior Fellowship from the Department of Culture and the Sanskriti Award, he realises that his lifestyle choices may have robbed him of the spotlight due to him. His contemporaries Rekha Rodwittiya, Nataraj Sharma and Ravinder Reddy are names that the average gallery-goer is far more familiar with. “There was a time when I used to wonder: Have I missed the bus? Should I have had more group exhibitions? What would it be like to be on someone’s shopping list as one of the most coveted?” he says and then adds, “However, I can confidently say that I am satisfied and I have no regrets.”

For an artist of his seniority and depth, he is under-valued and therefore, one of the art fraternity’s best-kept secrets. That’s why his first retrospective at New Delhi’s Gallery Threshold in November is going to be something to watch for. “It is going to be very touching to see my complete body of works under one roof,” says Ramesh.

Subscribe to Verve Magazine or buy the Verve issue on stands now!