Art Gallery

Kondapalli Seshagiri Rao

A brush, a pen, a pencil, or even a stick turns into a magic wand in his hands. They pour out distinctive features on to the canvas, making the onlookers glue their eyes on the paintings. Nature speaks angels sing through his artistic display. Thousands of artistic features took life through his magic wand and keep their priceless value years after their birth.

Kondapalli Seshagiri Rao is first of three children born to Gopala Rao and Ramachudamma, a couple from Mahaboobabad in Warangal district. He was born on January 27, 1924.

The plot of learning art and painting sprouted in him when tiny Seshagiri went to watch a stage drama. There, a curtain which carried an eye sore criss-cross lines and other art works by D Rangaiah influenced him. He took an effort and joined Warangal Art School. Deen Dayal Naidu, recognising the spark in Seshagiri instructed him to take a course at Hyderabad Fine Arts College.

With the financial aid from Mehdi Nawaj Jung Bahdur, Seshagiri took up a five-year course in art as a disciple of the then famous Jalaluddin. At the end of the course, he stood in distinction from the whole institution.

The financier Mehdi Nawaj Jung Bahdur was impressed with the ranking Seshagiri achieved and sent him to Santhi Niketan for a year of advanced training. He explored the depths of the art under the supervision of Nandalal Bose.

Rao was married to a widow Kamala Devi while he was in School of Fine Art. It was a daring feat in those days to marry a widow. Since then, they travelled together and the couple was blessed with six sons and a daughter.

Rao’s paintings were exhibited in Hyderabad, Mysore, Bombay, Delhi, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Italy, America, Japan, Australia, Kaulalumpur, Cairo and many other distant lands.

His works won many prizes and recognitions, including All India Exhibitions at Mysore, Madras, Calcutta, and Andhra Pradesh.

Numerous paintings of Rao were placed prominently in Salarjung Museum, Italy, Egypt and England Museums and decorated in internationally reputed personalities’ villas.

The ideas for his work were taken from mythological stories, epics, historical events, day to day life of a common man and from village life.

Seshagiri explores the social evils through his artistic expertise and works out to give a suggestion to drive the evil away.

He was professor and Head of Department at the School of Fine Art College and retired in 1984. Later, he played a short stint as Principal at the Vani Fine Arts College.

Contact Address:

Kondapalli Seshagiri Rao
H. No. 1-2-214/5/1,
Gagan Mahal Road,
Domalguda,
Hyderabad.
Phone: 7602199