Untitled

Artist: Achuthan Kudallur
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 38 × 60 inches (96.52 × 152.4 cm)
Year: Circa 1990s

This large abstract oil painting by Achuthan Kudallur is a compelling exploration of color, form, and emotion, rendered through a powerful orchestration of geometric shapes and gestural brushwork. Expansive in scale and dynamic in execution, the work immerses the viewer in a rich visual field dominated by reds, ranging from light rose and coral to deep crimson and blood tones, interspersed with accents of dark brown, black, muted purples, oranges, and subtle greens. These hues work together in vibrant tension, creating a palette that is both intense and contemplative.

In the composition is a geometric structure composed of intersecting and overlapping shapes, triangles, squares, and rectangles, some of which are fully saturated, while others appear translucent or only partially defined. This layering of forms builds a sense of spatial depth and complexity, as if the surface is shifting and evolving in real time. The solid blocks of color ground the viewer’s gaze, while the semi-transparent shapes create a rhythm of visual movement across the canvas.

Kudallur’s technique emphasizes the physicality of painting. The surface is alive with brushwork, estural and expressive, leaving behind visible textures that add dimension and energy. The artist’s hand is present in every stroke, with areas of dense layering interrupted by passages of relative calm, where paint is applied more sparingly. These variations in texture and density allow the painting to breathe, drawing the eye across its surface in a continuous, almost musical cadence.

Despite its abstract nature, the painting resonates with emotional and psychological depth. The red-dominated palette conveys both warmth and intensity, hinting at underlying themes of passion, conflict, or transformation. Meanwhile, the presence of darker hues, blacks, browns, and purples, introduce gravity and introspection, acting as counterpoints to the more vibrant tones. The interplay between these forces suggests a deeper narrative beneath the surface, one that may be personal, metaphysical, or even elemental. Achuthan Kudallur’s practice, this work resists literal interpretation, instead inviting the viewer into a space of open-ended contemplation. It reflects his consistent interest in color as a carrier of emotion and geometry as a structural framework. Through this sophisticated dialogue between form and feeling, Kudallur creates an artwork that is at once rooted in modernist abstraction and deeply personal in its expressive intensity.