The Hindu : Kerala News : Transporting the viewer into the painting

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Wednesday, Nov 19, 2008
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Kerala

Transporting the viewer into the painting

—Photo: S.R.K.

Window to a new world: Works of south Indian artists on display at an exhibition at Shrishti Art Gallery in Kozhikode.

Suddenly you are transported inside a classic Tamil Brahmin home, looking outward through a half-ajar door at a hot and humid afternoon to the sundry details of the neighbourhood and having an almost palpable sense of impassiveness. The paintings of Santhanakrishnan, currently exhibited along with those of seven other south Indian artists at the Shrishti Art Gallery on Beach Road here, can do that to you.

Chennai-based Santhanakrishna’s frames are small, done in acrylic on wood and captivatingly completed to redefine the beaten perceptions of painting.

The half-opened wooden door on his canvas partly forbids the view and partly allows the eye to roam the exterior. The choice of colours to convey the cosiness of a home is striking and telling of his creative skills.

Two acrylic on canvas, titled ‘Observer’ and ‘Teenage Girl,’ by his compatriot Rama Suresh catch the viewer with the intriguing postures of the subjects. Both the ‘teenager’ and the ‘observer’ stand with their backs to the viewer, forcing us to visualise their expressions and imagine their mental disposition.

Works of Gita from Chennai has an elegant abstractness with some bold use of red and yellow as background to her dormant female images; which look like a mute musical instrument till the viewers’ eyes decipher the cryptic signs skilfully concealed on the canvas.

Hyderabad-based artist Saraswathi has three of her ‘untitled’ acrylic on canvas, with some expressive rural folk as central images. With her intricate and stylish portraits of the characters, the artist convinces the viewer that a canvas need not be huge to catch the attention of the viewer.

Srinivas Chary of Hydrabad has two brilliant works with village women at the centre. They wear a disinterested body language and sport some contrastingly sharp expressions of the eyes. They coax the viewer with the aura of secrecy looming around them.

Stalin, Udaya Lakshmi and Karuna of Hyderabad also have their works displayed at the show, which is slated to end on November 30.

Jabir Mushthari

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