‘The commingling of the organic and the decorative and the transformation of the liveliness of the first into the vivacity of the latter is what stands out in Ramachandran’s representations of nature. In other words the crux of his art is the elevation of fact to the level of visual enchantment using the language of decoration, which he also stresses is an old Indian preoccupation. The luxury and voluptuousness of nature and painting, the very seductiveness of colour and form this foregrounds, however, also makes the reception of his painting rather problematic especially to his more critical urban viewers. . . . And it is just as we were all beginning to believe that decoration and visual pleasure can no more be concerns of serious art that Ramachandran—sensing that the modernist view of the decorative misses the oriental notion of the decorative as a distinctive representational idiom—sets out to consciously and bravely write them back into contemporary art practice and open a tradition considered closed for contemporary rearticulation. If there is a contingent irony in his practice, it is that as a modern artist Ramachandran is condemned to paint for an audience who is not experientially or, at least as yet, theoretically equipped to respond to his art with an equal measure of empathy and critical engagement.’

R. Siva Kumar

‘A lovingly produced book by Copper Coin. Indies books may yet be the future, for they have less to lose from Right or Left. And what a fine artist A. Ramachandran is.’

C. P. Surendran

‘Ramachandran’s wonderful book “The Lotus Pond” deals with a lifetime of experiences; some I have read in the past and would go through again with a combination of empathy with his concerns as an artist and admiration for him as a fellow artist and writer. It has some wonderful sketches and drawings illustrating the perceptive text. Beautifully designed and produced, it serves as a fitting tribute to the journey of an artist of exceptional merit. I appreciate the fine compilation made by Vinod Bhardwaj.’

Gulammohammed Sheikh

‘It looks beautiful.’

Jeet Thayil