The piece is currently part of the managed inventory at KYNKYNY Art Gallery.
Location History:
The painting has been housed and showcased at the KYNKYNY Art Gallery in Bengaluru, India. It was also featured as part of retrospective exhibitions honoring his lifelong work across major modern Indian art spaces, including the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) Bengaluru.
This painting by JMS Mani is part of his celebrated Badami Series, inspired by the everyday life of Badami, Karnataka. In this composition, the artist portrays a rural couple seated calmly amidst symbols of village life. The man, dressed in a white dhoti and bright pink turban, and the woman in a vibrant blue-green sari, are surrounded by bunches of bananas, a rooster, and colourful toys or festive decorations. These familiar objects transform an ordinary scene into a lively visual narrative that reflects the simplicity and warmth of rural India.
Mani employs bold yet harmonious colours and loose, expressive brushstrokes to create a sense of movement and spontaneity. Rather than focusing on intricate details, he captures the mood and personality of his subjects. The earthy background enhances the brilliance of the figures, drawing attention to their quiet dignity and the cultural richness of their surroundings. Everyday objects become symbols of livelihood, celebration, and community, highlighting the close relationship between people and their environment.
The Badami Series is widely recognised for documenting the lives of flower sellers, fruit vendors, street hawkers, and other ordinary people through a distinctly modern artistic language. By blending contemporary techniques with Indian themes, JMS Mani elevates common village scenes into timeless works of art. This painting celebrates the resilience, colour, and cultural identity of rural South India, inviting viewers to appreciate the beauty found in everyday life.
Mani has painted these archetypal village figures with a quiet pride in an ordinary life. The vivid technique is typical of the artist, allowing the paint to look textured and layered - adding a new dimension to the canvas. Mani has captured a poetic and symbolic portrait of rural life in South India, expressing dignity and routine in their profile and setting.
