Born to a family of toddy-brewers, K. Laxma Goud’s childhood in Nizampur, Andhra Pradesh was marked by watching street theatre, puppetry, folklore, as well as crafting paper masks and painting his own body. This early awareness of theatricality played an important role in characterizing Goud’s own style in printmaking. These two prints represent Goud’s early engagement with the rural and natural landscape, within which human figures and animal forms reside, accompanied by a sense of uninhibited sensuality and eroticism. Unlike his contemporaries, after completing his studies in painting at M. S. University in Baroda, Goud returned to his home-state to practice art. Between 1965-69, Goud aided fellow printmaker Devraj Dakoji (also in this exhibition) to set up an etching press at artist P. T. Reddy’s home in Hyderabad. Such collaborations emphasize the community-based efforts amongst printmakers in India.