S.R. Iyengar is a pioneer of early modern art, says Ganjifa Raghupathi Bhat
Mysore/Mysuru: A four-day exhibition of paintings by former Mysore Palace artist late S.R. Iyengar opened this morning at the Wadiyar Centre for Architecture (WCFA) on Krishnaraja Boulevard Road.
The exhibition, featuring 16 paintings and portraits by Iyengar created between 1940 and 1985, along with several awards and prizes he won, will remain open from 10 am to 6 pm daily until July 26 (Saturday).
Inaugurating the exhibition, veteran artist and Kalidas Samman awardee Ganjifa Raghupathi Bhat hailed S.R. Iyengar (1898-1985) as a pioneer of early modern art. He recalled that several artists migrated to Mysuru following the fall of the Vijayanagar Empire and noted that Iyengar was among the most distinguished painters associated with the Palace.
Bhat highlighted Iyengar’s formative years, mentioning that he studied at the J.J. School of Arts in Bombay under a scholarship awarded by Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV.
“After returning to Mysuru, Iyengar became a key figure among Palace painters. He contributed extensively to the panels of the Kalyana Mantapa at the newly rebuilt Palace following the devastating 19th-century fire. These murals, painted between 1934 and 1945, vividly depict the grandeur of the Dasara festival and are based on actual photographs,” he said.
The team of artists behind these murals also included K. Keshavaiah, S.N. Swamy, Y. Nagaraju, S. Shankar Raju, and Y. Subramanya Raju, he added.
Apart from his Palace work, Bhat noted, Iyengar created numerous independent portraits and landscapes in both watercolour and oil. “These works reflect his artistic evolution and provide valuable insights into the early modern developments in visual art that shaped the region’s cultural and artistic identity,” he observed.
Animation expert Avanish Patak, WCFA member B.L. Manjunath, Assistant Professor Madvesh N. Pandurangi and others were present on the occasion.
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