Sid Katragadda’s figurative paintings collate modern culture with the influence of Old Masters. Incorporating a range of vernaculars culled from art historical references, Katragadda’s work melds a fluid concept of modern culture, ranging from the Romantic era to today’s urban landscape. By collapsing history and style into a unique contemporary vision, Katragadda interrogates the notion of what art ‘was’ and ‘is’, and if time could be fused together. Vividly colorful, Katragadda’s large-scale figurative paintings are within the field of power reminiscent of old world artists such as Waterhouse and Klimt, their age-old models revisited in a modern setting.
His lifelong artistic endeavor has been to blend the east with the west, and the one common union between the two is the concept of ‘The Woman.’ Women, in all its meanings, have always played a role in culture. As far as paintings go, he believes that an artist's primary objective should be to capture a culture – and that a culture, or ethnicity, can be best understood through its women. His paintings and murals emphasize the way a culture has sculpted the woman as a whole, especially the colors. Indian women are depicted in brightest of colors - reds, saffrons and yellows – the most essential Indian colors – whereas the western counterparts are shown in vibrant, complimentary palettes to bring out their essence.
Check out more on the artist website: sidpx.com
