J.M.S Mani, Untitled, Oil on canvas, 40 x 41 Inches

Description

J.M.S MANI

J.M.S. Mani, also known as J.M. Subramani, was born in 1949 in Bangalore, Karnataka, and is a renowned Indian artist best known for his celebrated Badami Series. Inspired by the historic town of Badami and the simplicity, honesty, and resilience of its people, his work captures the rustic life of the Deccan Plateau and its strong Dravidian features with dignity and poetic depth.

Trained at the Kuvempu Kala Sanstha Ken School of Art under the mentorship of R. M. Hadapad, Mani developed a distinctive visual language that fuses Indian cultural narratives with Western formalism. His figurative works—depicting balloon sellers, fruit vendors, women with roosters, and village folk—are rendered in solid, three-dimensional forms using bold, impressionistic brushwork and rich impasto. Though restrained in gesture and expression, these figures narrate timeless stories, symbolising entire civilizations rather than individual subjects.

Colour and composition drive Mani’s expressive strength, with vibrant hues offsetting earthy skin tones to create dramatic yet balanced compositions. Alongside figuration, his practice spans nature-based and gestural abstraction inspired by archetypal forms, Hampi’s rocky landscapes, and monuments, as well as surrealistic works, printmaking, sculpture, watercolour, etching, mixed media, and oil and acrylic painting. His emotionally distinct Mother and Child series explores intimacy and tenderness.

A diploma holder in Drawing and Painting from the Ken School of Art, Mani is a recipient of multiple Karnataka Lalit Kala Akademi Awards and the Karnataka State Award. He has held 19 solo exhibitions across India and internationally—including London, Singapore, New York, Hong Kong, and Switzerland—and participated in over 40 major group exhibitions such as the SAARC Exhibition and the Bharat Bhavan International Biennale of Prints. A dedicated educator, he taught for many years at the Ken School of Art and served as its Principal until 2007. He lives and works in Bangalore.