K. M. Adimoolam's art resists easy categorization. He brings to his work a genuine spirit of enquiry, and a continually rejuvenating wonder at the generative cosmic possibilities of art. He makes profoundly aesthetic choices, bringing to his abstract painting and apparently realistic drawing sheer, unambiguous artistic skills. Adimoolam is primarily optimistic, his paintings resonate with a pleasure in the sensuality of the medium of oil, its dexterity and movement, and its ability to translate emotion into colour: What all the works have in common is his preoccupation with presences and fields outside his immediate perception, and a graded move towards the ideal space of pure abstraction. This for Adimoolam is the vivid. magnetic other, the field of consciousness, energy or at-sakti. one that is not individuated or personalized in any way, but which hints at the possibility of the deepest realization.
Gayatri Sinha is an independent curator and art critic based in New Delhi. She has edited the seminal volume Expressions and Evocations: Contemporary Women Artists in India, Woman/Goddess and Indian Art: An Overview. She is also the author of Krishen Khanna: A Critical Biography. Her curated exhibitions include 'The Self and the World' (National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, 1997), 'Vilas: The Idea of Pleasure' (Birla Academy, Mumbai, 2000), Cinema Still' (New Delhi, 2002), 'Woman/Goddess' (1998-2001, a travelling exhibition) and 'Middle Age Spread' (National Museum, New Delhi, 2004). She has been credited with a Department of Culture award and is also the recipient of a Ford Foundation award.
I cannot recall the name of the Hollywood film, but it was during the screening of this motion picture that I was introduced to the work of K. M. Adimoolam. It was in the midst of a very theatrical interaction between the concierge and a villainous character in the film that a large and colourful horizontal abstract painting, used as the backdrop in a hotel lobby in southern India, caught my eye. I did not realize it then, but much later when I became conscious of the artist's work.
When I first met with Adimoolam I was impressed by the simplicity and gentleness of his personality. I found these attributes to be reflective in his work to a great extent. His way of life and that of his family is something we could all learn from in this day and age. My first visit to his studio in Injambakkam adjoining the Cholamandalam artists' village in Chennai left a lasting impression in my mind. His clarity of thought was remarkable; his moral values and uncomplicated family lifestyle was refreshing, and his work was distinctive enough to lead me to revisit his studio on every trip I made to Chennai.
I came across the King series detailed drawings before I met with his abstract oil paintings. What surprised me was the variation in the work and the fact that someone with such strong command over drawing could progress to such an extent with abstract paintings. I am not able to categorize him as an abstract artist. I started collecting Adimoolam's works a few years ago and both my brother Saman Malik and I have had the good fortune of acquiring a number of his great creations. A variety of works listed in this publication are from our private collection.
When I was asked to write a short introduction to the book I was a little reluctant as there would be little that I could add to the brilliant transcript that Gayatri Sinha had already made of his work. However, I felt I might be able to add a brief on the individual characteristics of the artist as a person. I have great respect for all creative people more so for artists and I particularly hold Adimoolam in very high esteem both as an artist and a very fine human being. An artist of his seniority can remain true to his work only if external forces including commercial success do not disturb his rational framework, especially with regard to abstract art. Adimoolam has maintained this balance cautiously and has remained committed to the quality of his work over time.
A friend of mine once said, "Sometimes it is better just to see the art and not the man behind the art." I agreed with him then, but in the case of Adimoolam the man behind the art is as unique and admirable as his work.
**Contents and Sample Pages**
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