Dr Srajana Kaikini, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, SIAS has penned a book chapter ‘The Plant Studies of K. Venkatappa : The Artist’s Kinship with Nature, Truth, and Rationality’ is published as part of the book Nation, Region, Modernity: The Art of K. Venkatappa, Routledge India (2025) edited by Deeptha Achar and N Pushpamala. In her chapter, Dr Kaikini situates the philosophical bearings of Venkatappa’s aesthetic and his pre-occupation with truth, nature and scientific precision by tracing his creative kinship with his contemporaries—C V Raman, the scientist, James H. Cousins, the theosophist and B G L Swamy, the botanist.
Critical Review of the Book:
‘Bringing together a stellar group of scholars, this inter-disciplinary volume reminds us of the aesthetic importance for the study of both Indian modernity and the history of modern Indian art of K. Venkatappa as painter, sculptor, musician, art educationist, and much more.
The first comprehensive and definitive analysis of this largely overlooked but significant Telugu-origin artist of Karnataka, Nation, Region, Modernity: The Art of K. Venkatappa deftly demonstrates how the nation lives in and through the region, but also, frequently, at the expense of the region. The volume also valuably offers a model of how to engage with the lives and legacies of pioneering figures of the past in a manner that is both a necessary corrective and a critical celebration.’
—Sumathi Ramaswamy, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of History, Duke University, USA
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