Born in 1965 in the Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh, India, Laxman Aelay is a highly acclaimed Hyderabad based artist. He is known for his nostalgic paintings that depict the people he grew up amongst, in his ancestral village of Kadirenigudem in modern day Telangana state. The poverty-stricken lives of the village folk are his constant inspiration, which he translates into bold figurative art. An extremely respected senior artist today, known for his versatality, Laxman Aelay started his career as a signboard painter and then went on to design and illustrate books, for which he is highly regarded in the Telugu literary circle. Even though he had already acquired a Bachelor of Commerce degree, the artist in him compelled him to get a BA in Painting from the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University College of Fine Arts in Hyderabad.
Constantly innovating with his style even while remaining consistent with his subjects, Laxman Aelay started off doing large scale works, before shifting his focus to smaller formats, and then revisiting the large-scale format again in his most recent series. He gained immense popularity with his distinct black, white, and grey compositions, set against brightly painted backgrounds such as red, green, blue, purple, and ochre. From there, he moved on to contrasting realistic, yet colourful depictions of people set against sober yet slightly textured backgrounds in his ‘Song of the Village’ series. Using colour, he emphasized the detailing in jewellery, traditional clothing, and flowers. In his most recent ‘Poolamma Series’, Laxman Aelay is experimenting with hyperrealism, using big and bold colours and backgrounds to create eye-catching, stunning paintings.
Laxman Aelay held his first solo show at the Indian Council of Cultural Relations Art Gallery in Hyderabad in 1999. Prior to this, he was honoured with an award from the Hyderabad Art Society in 1995. He has also taken part in several important shows and exhibitions, and represented India in an international exposition organised by TAANA in Chicago, USA. A matter of great respect, he designed the logo of the newly formed state of Telangana in 2014, which contains iconic imagery of the country as well as the state of Telangana. Laxman Aelay is recognized both nationally and internationally for his body of work.
