Born in 1947 in Chennai, D.T. Lohith had his schooling in the small town of Nagamangala, in Karnataka, India. His source of inspiration has been his mother and his teacher Sri. H. Jayadeva, who recognized his talent and encouraged him throughout his school days.

A man who followed his heart, Lohith gave up a lucrative engineering career and enrolled himself at Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts (CAVA) in Mysore, to pursue a formal training in Art. During his five year stint at CAVA, his unique capabilities and talents won accolades, making him the most promising student of the institution and a favorite of his teachers Sri. F.M. Soofi and Sri. M.J. Suddhodhana.

After his degree in Fine Arts, he served as a teacher in Central School Organization for 5 years and then worked for 3 years in a private company as Visualizer and Chief Artist. This formed a strong base for his future career in Applied Art.

His enterpreneual instinct drove him to start his own Commercial Art and Design Studio under the banner DTL Graphics, which enjoyed the status of being one of the best and much sought after in the city of Hyderabad.

His solo exhibition ‘Home Coming’ held in the year 2000 showcased almost 100 of his works that tried to capture the tumult and tribulations of an artist’s inner longing to release his ‘soul’ from the shackles of a rigmarole existence. Each one of his works depicts the audacity of his spirit and his realistic renderings have a strange aura as if they have been teleported in a timewrap from a bygone era.

His humane themes and portraits show this stoic earthiness of yesteryears, captured in intricate brush strokes. His uniqueness is displayed in his dexterity in handling various themes – whether realistic or contemporary – in great detail. Some of his works like ‘The Shattered Dreams’ and ‘The Horsemen’ exemplify this bohemian spirit.

Lohith feels that the contemporary and realistic art forms can co-exist peacefully just like the different styles in music. To him, modern art and realistic are mirror images, akin to the different patterns which emerge when viewed through a kaleidoscope. He strongly feels that the realistic art lays a strong foundation and imparts the requisite skill and technique, that can be very effectively applied to contemporary art themes with unparalleled visual impact. Artists like him who can paint in contemporary as well as realistic styles are a rare breed.

In order to quantify this dichotomy and versatility, Lohith once embarked upon a unique experiment. He tried to capture the diverse polarities of realistic and contemporary art in similar themes in some of his paintings such as ‘Jade’, ‘The Horsemen’, ‘The Spring’ etc.

On one side is the skill, the finish and an eye to the minutest details of realistic art, and on the other is the essence of thought, the freewheeling mind and the ever changing patterns of abstract art.

All in all, Lohith seems to be a very happy man, who enjoys every moment of his creative endevour.

-- Dr. G. Ramakrishna

Prof. in English & Sanskrit

National College, Bangalore

Want to know what Lohith feels about his work ?

It is often a tiny spark of an idea that grows in magnitude to become a powerful theme for any project.

 Each one of my paintings has originated in the same fashion and transitioned into a complete picture on the canvas over a period of time.

 Just like most of the artists do, I opine that one cannot express oneself adequately using words alone as a channel of communication. Perhaps the very existence of paints and brushes corroborates this thought !

 A striking contrast though,  I have felt that some of my works have never been able to convey my thoughts in totality. If a right balance between words and pictures be struck, wouldn’t the result mesmerize the viewer completely and be a visual treat ?

But how does one achieve this ?

Every piece of art has its own story to tell. Any painting, according to me, should, at first sight, make the viewer happy.

Or, unhappy at least.

If the viewer deliberates further more on the painting, then it should unfold gradually and surprise him with many more hidden details.

The joy one experiences when a work of art reveals its secrets, incrementally, is immense. The viewer will relate to the painting more intensely and look for meanings in different dimensions.

It is at this moment, perhaps, the artist strikes a chord in the heart of the viewer.

Have I struck this chord ??

D.T. Lohith.