An exploration of the weight of history and the demand for originality on the contemporary artist, written by one of India’s best-known artists.
 
What conception does a modern artist or critic have of contemporary art activity? How do modern artists react to their environment and cultural inheritance? And what general norms of achievement can we think of in the highly heterogeneous art scene of today? In Creative Circuit, K. G. Subramanyan, one of India's most celebrated artists, draws upon his considerable experience as a practicing artist and theoretician to engage with these concerns from a modern Indian perspective.
 
Through a series of five lectures, Subramanyan critically examines key concepts such as modernity, eclecticism, and nostalgia, which have become integral to contemporary art discourse. He provocatively questions the perceptions, illusions, and emotional motivations driving artistic expression in today's heterogeneous art scene, prompting readers to reconsider established norms of achievement in the context of evolving artistic practices. With over one hundred color illustrations complementing Subramanyan's insightful discourse, Creative Circuit offers a visually engaging exploration of the interplay between tradition and innovation in contemporary art.
 
Subramanyan played a pivotal role in shaping India’s artistic identity after Independence. Mani-da, as he was fondly called, seamlessly blended elements of modernism with folk expression in his works, spanning paintings, murals, sculptures, prints, set designs, and toys. Beyond his visual artistry, his writings have laid a solid foundation for understanding the demands of art on the individual. In the year of his centenary, Seagull is proud to publish his writings in special new editions.
 

An engaging exploration of the quest for individuality within the rich tapestry of artistic traditions, by one of India’s best-known artists.
 
“The fulfillment of a modern Indian artist's wish to be part of a living tradition, i.e. to be individual and innovative, without being an outsider in his own culture, will not come of itself, it calls for concerted effort.”
 
In Living Tradition, a critical study of modern Indian art as it has evolved through continuous interaction with several traditions—foreign and indigenous—K. G. Subramanyan, one of India's most celebrated artists, offers a theoretical groundwork for that “concerted effort.” In the course of his study, he explores the distinctions between Indian and European traditions, the continuities in India's folk traditions, and the attempts of several thinkers and artists to identify an Indian artistic tradition or to deny it altogether in a quest for personal expression or universality. With over seventy-five illustrations in color complementing Subramanyan's thought-provoking essay, Living Tradition provides readers with a visually engaging exploration of the vibrant tapestry of Indian art.
 
Subramanyan played a pivotal role in shaping India’s artistic identity after Independence. Mani-da, as he was fondly called, seamlessly blended elements of modernism with folk expression in his works, spanning paintings, murals, sculptures, prints, set designs, and toys. Beyond his visual artistry, his writings have laid a solid foundation for understanding the demands of art on the individual. In the year of his centenary, Seagull is proud to publish his writings in special new editions.
 

Essays on the evolving aesthetic sensibilities of a globalized, rapidly changing world.
 
In this collection of essays, written by K. G. Subramanyan over twenty-five years, this artist delves into the evolving aesthetic sensibilities in a globalized world, offering profound reflections on art, aesthetics, tradition, and societal challenges. As one of India's most celebrated artists, Subramanyan provides invaluable insights into contemporary art and cultural dynamics
 
Covering a broad spectrum of topics including art, visual perception, creativity, craft practice, tradition, and societal issues, Subramanyan's essays offer a comprehensive exploration of the complexities shaping modern civilization. He critically examines the impact of globalization, industrialization, environmental degradation, and societal disparities on art, education, and society, urging readers to negotiate these challenges with insight and vigilance.
 
Subramanyan played a pivotal role in shaping India’s artistic identity after Independence. Mani-da, as he was fondly called, seamlessly blended elements of modernism with folk expression in his works, spanning paintings, murals, sculptures, prints, set designs, and toys. Beyond his visual artistry, his writings have laid a solid foundation for understanding the demands of art on the individual. In the year of his centenary, Seagull is proud to publish his writings in special new editions.
 

Reflections on the chords and discords inherent in the relationship between tradition and modernism.
 
Written between the early 1960s and the mid-1970s, the articles and lectures collected in Moving Focus reflect on some of the major concerns of the practicing artist and scholar of modern Indian art: tradition and modernism, the question of the image, and the use of art criticism. The collection also includes essays on the work of Rabindranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore, Binodebehari Mukherjee, Ramkinker Baij, and Amrita Sher-Gil. Together, they deal with the focal changes taking place in the contemporary art situation—a period of great significance in terms of cultural development, just about a decade and a half after India’s hard-won Independence—and seek to put them in perspective. The analytical essays of K. G. Subramanyan, one of India's most celebrated artists, remain as relevant and useful today as they were when this collection first appeared decades ago, and are perfectly suited to introducing the non-specialist to Indian modernism and its global concerns.
 
Subramanyan played a pivotal role in shaping India’s artistic identity after Independence. Mani-da, as he was fondly called, seamlessly blended elements of modernism with folk expression in his works, spanning paintings, murals, sculptures, prints, set designs, and toys. Beyond his visual artistry, his writings have laid a solid foundation for understanding the demands of art on the individual. In the year of his centenary, Seagull is proud to publish his writings in special new editions.