Krishna Reddy (artist)

Krishna Reddy (15 July 1925 – 22 August 2018)[1][2] was an Indian printmaker, sculptor and teacher.[3] He was considered a master intaglio printer and known for viscosity printing.

Krishna Reddy
Born(1925-07-15)15 July 1925
Nandanoor, Chittoor district, Madras Presidency, British India
Died22 August 2018(2018-08-22) (aged 93)
New York, U.S.
Other namesN. Krishna Reddy
EducationSlade School of Fine Arts
Alma materKala Bhavana
Known forPrintmaking, Sculpture
Spouse(s)Judy Blum Reddy

Early life and education

Krishna Reddy was born in 15 July 1925, in a small village called Nandanoor, near Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, in India.[4][5]

Reddy studied at Visva-Bharati University's Kala Bhavana (Institute of Fine Arts) with Nandalal Bose, from 1941 to 1946, and graduated with a degree in fine arts.[3][4] From 1947 to 1949, he was head of the art section at Kalakshetra Foundation and was also teaching art at the Montessori Teachers' Training Centre in Madras.[4] It was at this time that he took interest in sculpture and painting.[4]

In 1949, he moved to London, and continued his sculpture studies with Henry Moore at the University of London's Slade School of Fine Arts.[4] In 1950, Reddy moved to Paris and met artist Constantin Brâncuși. Through Brâncuși, he was introduced to cafe discussions on art and met many famous artists during studio visits.[4] During his time in Paris he studied sculpture under Ossip Zadkine and engraving under Stanley William Hayter.[4]

In 1957, he traveled to Academia Di Belle Arti Di Brera (Brera Academy) in Milan to study under Marino Marini.[4] In 2016 he was one of the subjects of the exhibition Workshop and Legacy: Stanley William Hayter, Krishna Reddy, Zarina Hashmi at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[3]

Career

Printmaking

Reddy was considered a master in intaglio printmaking and after 1965 was an associate director at Hayter's Atelier 17.[6] Atelier 17, a thriving artist workshop was founded in 1927 by Hayter and was originally located in Paris; however between 1939 and 1940 the workshop moved to New York City and in 1950 back to Paris.[7] Atelier 17 has always been a meeting place to experiment with their art practices for both European and American artists including Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Juan Cardenas, Constantin Brâncuși, and Zarina Hashmi.[3]

Reddy's technique and style distinguished him as an important printmaker. Reddy's prints are abstract, created with subtle grid-like designs on plates with intricate texturisations. The myriad complex colour that he introduced in prints are marked by a contemplative approach to the infinite mysteries of nature.[8] While working at Atelier 17, Reddy was instrumental in developing a new printing process to produce multi-coloured prints from a single printing matrix by exploiting the viscosity and tackiness of the inks, subsequently named viscosity printing.[9][10]

Reddy received the Padma Shri award in 1972, in recognition of his distinguished contributions to art.[11]

Teaching

Reddy was a guest professor and lecturer at many universities in the United States including Maryland Institute College of Art, Pratt Institute, Ruskin College School of Fine Art and Drawing, University of Texas and many more.[4]

Among Reddy's pupils is the painter and printmaker Elaine Breiger.[12]

Krishna Reddy died on 22 August 2018 in New York, at the age of 93.[9][13] He is survived by his wife, artist Judy Blum Reddy, and daughter Aparna.[9][14]

References
  1. "Krishna Reddy (1925–2018)". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  2. "Art Industry News". artnet News. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  3. Sharma, Sumesh (18 October 2016). "Krishna Reddy and Atelier 17: A "New Form" Takes Shape". The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met). Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  4. "KRISHNA REDDY : biographical journey" (PDF). Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.
  5. "Krishna Reddy". www.askart.com. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  6. "Krishna Reddy – Art Public Montréal". Art Public Montréal.
  7. "20th Century modern printmaking – S. W. Hayter and Atelier 17". Roosevelt Fine Art LLC. 1 March 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  8. "Krishna Reddy". contemporaryindianart.com. Archived from the original on 30 December 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2008.
  9. "Farewell to printmaker, sculptor, world renowned modernist artist Krishna Reddy". Hindustan Times. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  10. "A real guru, he always kept his links with India". The Indian Express. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  11. "Sans titre". Bureau d'Art Public – Ville de Montréal.
  12. Jules Heller; Nancy G. Heller (19 December 2013). North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-63882-5.
  13. Sharma, Sumesh (24 August 2018). "See you again in Apu's World". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  14. "Eminent artist Krishna Reddy no more". The Hindu. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2018.

Further reading
  • Bartholomew, Richard (1974). Krishna Reddy. New Delhi.
  • Krishna’s Cosmos: The Creativity of an Artist, Sculptor & Teacher. Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing. 2003.
  • Krishna Reddy Papers at New York University Archives at New York University Special Collections & Archives
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