Born in Shegendalabad, Andhra Pradesh, he is one of the most famous modern painters in southern India. As an artist, illustrator and writer, Narayan did not receive formal painting training. However, in his first public exhibition in 1949 and then in 1954, he became well known.
In 1961, he participated in the second International Biennale in Paris.
From 1966 to 67, he participated in the Fifth International Biennale of printed Materials in Tokyo.
In 1991, he participated in the Seventh India Triennale in New Delhi.
In 2007, “Journey 2” was displayed at the Mumbai Gallery Art and Soul.
In 2009, “the Root of all things” was on display at the Bangalore Gallery souvenir.
For self-taught Narayan, who has been painting for more than 45 years, he has always been determined to be a real-time and profound introspect person, and this kind of self-reflection and autobiographical perspective is his most eternal theme.
《帕瓦蒂与随从在独角兽上》Parvati on Unicorn with attendants | 1963
At first, Narayan was engaged in the work of ceramic tiles and ceramics. After trying various media, he finally settled on paper, which also brought infinite inspiration for his later creation of a series of watercolor paintings. As we can see, his paintings are intimate and attractive, often with fantasy elements. Those simple outlines and accessible themes can be expressed in two-dimensional style. Different from other painters of visualization style, Narayan’s painting is undoubtedly narrative.
How to explain the narration in Narayan’s works? It seems to trace back to the main form of image cognition generated by narrative. We do not rule out that narrative art still exists in the development of modern art. But Narayan’s narrative is not simply to tell a story, but to present it in a new narrative style. And can become an independent information and do not have to belong to any one narrative existence, changing the previous narrative art established by the rules system. If we want to understand in a more intuitive way, such as “dream of hamsa” and “meet in the middle of the stream” and other similar headlines, It is convenient for us to interpret the starting point of complexity in these paintings and feel the premise of the complexity of narrative dimension in modern painting.
In the selection of painting materials, for artists is very important. Narayan always believed in the two-dimensional nature of painting, preferring to create in smaller forms, and believed that this form was very practical and suitable for his preferred medium, watercolor.
Symbolism is a recurrent feature of his works, and although he sometimes uses popular idols of Indian culture such as Ganisha, one of the gods in Indian mythology, it does not conflict in the picture. Because the artist himself explained, “I picked up the image that surrounds me, and I was born in this place, and it came into being naturally.” Therefore, Narayan not only draws lessons from Indian mythology and metaphor, but also proves that the rationality of the picture can not be separated from the support of national culture, in order to promote the growth.
Narayan’s work is also inspired by Indian miniatures, particularly those of the Pahari School, whose subtle lines reflect this influence. Including his constant drawing of mythological scenes, kings, monks, and cultural icons, he draws inspiration from the stories around him.
Badri Narayan once left us with a saying: “narration is natural.” Yes, story telling is what he has always loved. Painting is not only a form of “non narrative”. No one can give it a kind of “standard definition”, because painting itself is personal and free.
