A younger mother lies on a crimson mattress even as a baby suckles at her breast. A tall dusky woman poses naked, her head resting on her arms raised at her back. In another nude painting, a girl runs a brush thru her thick brown hair, looking sideways, absentmindedly. Nude artwork is a preferred culture in Western international locations, but it remains debatable and is often frowned upon in India. Thirty–yr-antique self-taught artist Ramya Sadasivam’s oil on canvas art hopes to alternate all that. “I was drawn into becoming an artist, especially due to nude art. I have received many bad remarks, and I recognize that human beings here do not understand nude art for what it’s miles. I want to teach them, although it’s far in my small way,” starts Ramya.
For this, Ramya has been posting works by renowned artists like Steven Assael, Vladimir Volegov, Suchitra Bhosle, Prafull Sawant, and others on her Facebook account to expose and educate people on one-of-a-kind works of artwork. Yet, Ramya has had to brave through abusive language aimed at belittling her and her work. “I recognize I am just a budding artist, and I understand it might take at least 15 years to best my artwork. But some of the poor comments I obtain are very coarse. In our society, nude works are usually taken into consideration as controversial. Some suppose I try this to advantage interest,” shares Ramya.
“One day, I received a call from a person asking the “price” for the woman in the painting I had achieved. These are simply some of the abuses I go through regularly for trying to instruction my artwork,” she laments. Ramya also shares that to shield her version’s identity; she usually paints them with a unique face. “My fashions ought to sense secure, and I make this little alteration to my works so their privacy is covered.”
But these restrictions and frustrations Ramya has turned into a driving force. “It makes me want to comment on all that is considered arguably. It makes me need to preserve perfecting my artwork,” she emphasizes.
As a cultural artist, Ramya tells us that she receives to explore and experience all varieties of emotions thru art. “There’s sincerity in all types of feelings – among mom and toddler, between human and dog, among enthusiasts. I aim to capture sincerity between people,” she explains.
Now resolute upon exploring all of the emotions considered “forbidden,” Ramya tells us that she can also be aware of expressing love between LGBTQ individuals. “This is something that has no longer been explored. The LGBTQ community has not been given proper identification in our society. I need to seize and sign up their love as nicely,” she tells us.
Through her paintings, Ramya likewise makes a silent insurrection about frame photos and racism based on pores and skin tone. “It is herbal for an Indian lady to have a broader pelvis and butt area, and this anatomy must be naturalized. Size zero, as an idea, isn’t herbal. Similarly, I have also come to consider that the oil painting method brought in India best one century ago is a greater ideal for paler pores and skin. I find it even more challenging to bring out the multitude of dusky sun shades of Indian skin. These are matters that preserve me going,” she tells us.
Ramya is no longer always an artist. An MBA graduate, she tells us that she began practicing art complete-time, most effectively, in 2011. The initial days even though they have been riddled with doubts and competition from their own family. “When I first began to portray nudes, my younger brother turned into nonetheless in his teens. One day while he had his pals over, despite the men taking it lightly, I ought to see that it bothered my circle of relatives. Only after my first exhibition in 2014 at Lalit Kala Akademi, Chennai did my mother and father start apprehending work,” says Ramya.
Since then, her father and her brothers have been splendid guides and encouragement for Ramya. “I owe it to each of them. My father has helped me sell my paintings. Today, I can proudly say my work has been bought not thru any gallery but totally via my website. I even have created my network and contacts on this subject,” she says.
However, her father, G Sadasivam, tells us that greater than looking at Ramya as his daughter, he considers her to be an achiever. “A talented character developing in existence is a difficult feat. Our first responsibility is to assist and support them in each way we will. I might do that for my daughter and anybody with talent. When athlete Gomathi Marimuthu received gold currently, I provided her with my congratulations. Humanity is all approximately loving, and I addifirmly agree everyone has the proper to explicit their valuations.”
Ramya attributed the Camlin National Award Nomination in 2016 and the Tamil Nadu Tourism State Level Painting Nomination in 2017 as validation for her art. Ramya also acquired the Tamil Nadu Best Artist award in 2016 and the Chennai City Award Best Artist in 2017 as part of the Prafulla Dahanukar Foundation’s Kalanand Art contests.