GUIDING LIGHTS: MENTORS WHO SHAPED ARTIST LAXMA GOUD’S JOURNEY

Long before he became the living legend that he is today, artist Laxma Goud began as a talented child and, later, a promising art student. What propelled him from these humble beginnings to becoming a Padma Shri awardee? He credits three figures with helping him overcome obstacles and instilling confidence in him: his father Kalal Venka Goud, art collector Jagdish Mittal, and his mentor K.G. Subramanyan. Each of these figures played a significant role in his childhood, college years and early career.

Below, we share the story behind each of Mr. Goud’s mentors and how they ushered him along his path to success.

Kalal Venka Goud: The Artist’s Father

Mr. Goud was born in a rural village in Telangana. His father, Kalal Venka Goud, came from a family of toddy tappers — farmers who harvested sap from coconut or palm trees to produce toddy — but he worked as an accountant for the landlord. He ensured that his children received a formal education, too.

“My father was a ‘maali patil’ — someone who kept accounts for a landlord. He would maintain a ledger that had the Nizam’s seal. I still remember how he would sit there every morning wearing a dhoti and a kameez with gold buttons and a checked rumal,” Mr. Goud recalls. “He would sit so erect on the ground in our courtyard with a low table in front of him. That has influenced me, his sense of style and his body language. He was meticulous in the way he kept accounts and he had the most beautiful handwriting. My signature resembles his writing.”

Mr. Kalal Venka Goud noticed his son’s aptitude for drawing at a young age. In primary school, Mr. Goud drew such a precise map of India that his principal gifted him a box of crayons! However, there were no professional artists in their village, so his father did not know whether art could offer a stable career. Even so, his father invested in the artist’s education and encouraged him to pursue his passion. In fact, it was his father who took Mr. Goud to Hyderabad and helped him enroll in the Fine Arts College there, where he would meet his next important mentor.

Jagdish Mittal: Collector and Connector

During the 1960s, renowned collector and art historian Jagdish Mittal taught at the Fine Arts College in Hyderabad. He met Laxma Goud through a student exhibition there, and he was immediately impressed. He bought a few works while Mr. Goud was still a student, and he provided him with materials like good paper.

As one of the artist’s earliest champions, Mr. Mittal made regular acquisitions in addition to promoting Mr. Goud’s work to curators and fellow collectors over several decades. Looking back, Mr. Mittal explained his support, “I appreciate Laxma because he stuck to his style and he never compromised on the quality of his work, even if there was no demand for his work.”

Mr. Mittal also made the fateful introduction between Mr. Goud and artist K.G. Subramanyan — in 1963, Mr. Mittal nominated Mr. Goud for a scholarship from the Andhra Pradesh Lalit Kala Akadem to study at M.S. University in Baroda. He wrote to his friend and professor Mr. Subramanyan recommending the young artist, and the rest is history!

K.G. Subramanyan: Professor and Mentor

Thanks to Jagdish Mittal, Mr. Goud attended M.S. University in Baroda on scholarship. The school was a vibrant hub for the arts at the time, with faculty including N.S. Bendre, Sanko Chowdhury and, of course, K.G. Subramanyan. Affectionately called ‘Mani da’ by his students, Mr. Subramanyan certainly left his mark on Indian art history, not only as a revered artist but also as a mentor to some of the greatest contemporaries of our time, including Laxma Goud and Thota Vaikuntam.

Mr. Subramanyan took the young Mr. Goud under his wing, offering studio space to encourage his practice and introducing him to new mediums. While working on a bas-relief mural for the art department, Mr. Subramanyan hired Mr. Goud as an assistant, guiding him towards mural-making and sculpture.

Although their relationship began as teacher and student, the admiration became mutual. In praise of his mentee’s skill, Mr. Subramanyan said, “Laxma is a versatile artist and in most fields, quite a virtuoso. He is a self-possessed and inventive draughtsman and sensitive printmaker, who lavishes care on both the prints and the plates he prints from.”

For his part, Mr. Goud is clear about the profound influence that Mr. Subramanyan had on him. “For what was I, when I went to Baroda? Nothing. He caught me by the neck and said, beta, you are uneducated and you are a villager, first work on your craft!”

To read more about Laxma Goud’s life and work, please visit https://laasyaart.com/laxma-goud. To inquire about original paintings by Laxma Goud, please reach out at info@laasyaart.com or +1 650-770-9088.

Many thanks to Ratna Rao Shekar and her book K. Laxma Goud: In Black & White, published in 2021. This book dives deep into Mr. Laxma Goud’s life and career, featuring essays by K.G. Subramanyan and Jagdish Mittal detailing their personal memories of the artist.

— Sonia Patwardhan