About Magunta Dayakar's Coca Cola
and Indian Heritage Paintings

Read about these paintings in Dayakar's words...
When I got a call from Delhi Coca Cola corporate office to do paintings for their new office, I did not get excited. Because I had done a lot of paintings for them between 1992 to 1998. To me it is one more assignment. So I met them In Delhi office casually. But after a few hours every thing changed.
I understood that these works are going to be a great milestone in my artist career.
First thing, these paintings have to represent the heritage structures of four cities of the nation. Not only heritage structures, along with them they have to show the life surrounding those structures. And Coca Cola has to be a part of that life.
Subject itself is very difficult to work. You should express various walks of life. That life should not
be come static. Usually structures are static. The life surrounding them is full of energetic movement. When you paint both of them as one you have to coordinate them without losing their character. A difficult feet. Every brush stroke should be calculated and carefree.
More than this there are other problems. One is size and another is ' The place where the paintings are going to be displayed.'
These are the real problems.
Each painting size is 84 x 67 inches. When you are doing this size of paintings usually they look like banners or street hoardings. Results... they lose the realistic illusion feeling. They look artificial. This is one problem which has to be taken care of very carefully.
The second problem is more difficult than this. The problem is.... It's the place where they are going to display these paintings in their corporate office.

Here you are seeing the placement of paintings. The entire wall measurements is 350 inches x 98.5 inches or 8.85 x 2.50 Meters. The entire wall is covered by paintings and their frames.

Here lies the problem.
Because bottom of these paintings lies on the floor level. So when somebody enters the hall or some one sitting in the hall will see these paintings from their eye level. Usually this eye level is 3 ft. above the ground or even more. That's why paintings are usually arranged 3 ft above the ground.
Then what will happen?
They are not able to see the bottom part of the paintings in one look. They will see only middle and upper part of the paintings. Then they will lose their unified look. Then viewer won't feel the full impact of the paintings. Results... however well artist works it won't achieve desired effect.
These paintings are really a great challenge to any artist's knowledge of Design & Composition. I said so many times before that Design & Composition is the soul of painting.

When I understood this I tried to find solutions. Results... I invented some set of new rules in Design & Composition. After imposing these rules I achieved what I want. These paintings helped me
to enter into more unknown layers of science of art. That's why when people are seeing these painting,s they are feeling that they are in the actual location. This is art. What more an artist wants to achieve?
And I am grateful to the people of Coca Cola who helped me to visit all these Heritage places to know them, to experience them personally. Without their help these great paintings which give me pride could not be possible.

Painting-1
'Coca Cola is everywhere in India'.

The Coca Cola Products in India Map convey that Coca Cola is everywhere in India. The boys, one who looks like urban and another one from rural backgrounds, holding the Cricket Ball and Bat represents the Indian Cricket. And Coca Cola is also very much linked with Indian Criket.
(image will come later)

Painting - 2
' Coca Cola at Charminar, Hyderabad '

Charminar is a Great Monument and one of the landmarks of Indian Heritage. Usually it's a busy place. But there people want to live with calmness and peace like olden times. The visual of the Charminar in this painting expresses the inner desire of the people. The calmness and peace like olden times.
And just like everywhere else in India 'Coca Cola ' makes us feel its strong presence here also. The coke supply van is on the road. In left side corner there is a restaurant which sells only coke products. That restaurant crowded with people always.

Painting-3
'Coca Cola at India Gate, Delhi '

Delhi's India Gate is one of the heritage place in India. This is a place where people love to stroll leisurely to feel the atmosphere of historical times. No hurried crowd. Children, young woman, old couples, the young and middle aged men everybody is there. They are from all corners of the country and other places of the Globe. Coca Cola is also there. It seems , where ever people appears, coke also makes us feel its presence there. A small young boy who is standing beside Coke cart asking his mother to buy Coca Cola. The more interesting visual is the two rural women who are in the fore ground, looking at India gate. One of the women is holding the Coke bottle in her right hand.

Painting - 4
' Coca Cola at Victoria Memorial - Kolkatta '

Kolkatta is a crowded place. But the people here want to live peacefully. They are emotional. Poetic. This is birth place of Ravindranath Tagore who founded ' Shantiniketan '
What we are seeing in this painting is ' Victoria Memorial ', this is one of the great monuments in the city. We are seeing it from Mydan's side. Behind Victoria Memorial there is a Mydan which is also one of the historical places. Beside Mydan there is 'Fort Williams' another historical place which is now used as Military Cantonment. From that Cantonment, every evening military people ride on the horses in the Mydan. Tourists are also there. Like every where else Coca Cola makes its presence felt here. It tells us Coca Cola and India is inseparable. It has become a part of Indian People's lives.

Painting - 5
' Coca Cola at V.T. Station, Mumbai '

Mumbai- a busy city. We will see that atmosphere everywhere in the city. V.T. Station is one of the oldest buildings in Mumbai. There also we see that busy crowd movement and like everywhere in the country here also we see Coca Cola in every corner. Coke van is moving towards consumer points. Because in their busy moments these people like to drink Coca Cola. It makes them feel relaxing moments.