THOTA VAIKUNTAM PAINTINGS BRING A CALMNESS OF SPIRIT AND TRANQUILLITY TO ALL THOSE WHO SEE THEM. HE AVOIDS AN OBVIOUSLY DISTURBING FORM BUT INSTEAD HAS REPEATED THE PICTORIAL MOTIFS EXTENSIVELY. AT THE EMOTIONAL LEVEL HIS AIM APPEARS TO BE ,TO CREATE, A HARMONY BETWEEN AN IMAGINATIVE CONCEPT AND HIS TECHNICAL EXPERTISE. HIS PAINTINGS DEAL WITH THE THEME OF LOVE, WHICH IS ALWAYS INDIRECT AND VEILED. HE DOES THIS SUCCESSFULLY BY USING SYMBOLS LIKE THE PARROT AND MIRROR. THE MIRROR REFLECTS THE NAYIKA’S MOOD AND THE PARROT HER GENTLENESS. VAIKUNTAM’S PARROT APPEARS AS AN ARDENT LISTENER TO THE LOVER’S WOES. THE LINE OF THOTA VAIKUNTAM HAS A MAGICAL QUALITY SUGGESTING BOTH CONTOUR AND VOLUME. HE CONSCIOUSLY TRANSFORMS THE LINE OF FORCE, VOLUME AND TACTILE FEELING INTO ONE OF DECORATION TO SUIT HIS PURPOSE. THE EROTICISM THUS APPEARS VERY SUBTLE AND MERELY SUGGESTIVE. LIKE THE FOLK PAINTERS, THE PLACEMENT OF THE FORM, WITHOUT ILLUSIONISTIC DEPTH, THE DECORATIVE PATTERN ON THE FABRIC, ...