In a split instant Yusuf Arakkal had moved on leaving behind a poignant space. It was an ardent journey he had lived with determination, generosity and splendour. His life-time is a ‘rags to riches’ saga that should certainly inspire many for whom his advise is ‘stay afloat if you cannot swim but never drown’. He is an artist who has crossed many landmarks from Chavakkad in Kerala to Bangalore, from a technical job at HAL to being a full-time artist, from the confines of aristocracy to living off footpaths and finally to owning a sprawling home-studio and a gallery in Brookefields in Bengaluru.
In the art world he is remembered for his prolific works and as a renowned international artist, who has won the prestigious Lorenzo de Medici silver medal in 2003 for his triptych, ‘War, Guernica re-occurs,’ and gold medal in 2006 for his painting 'Bacon's Man with the Child and Priest' at the Biennale Internazionale Dell’Arte Contemporanea at Florence. Often one comes across artists recounting Yusuf’s warmth and concern in sharing their angst and joys. As an individual and artist he was often moved emotionally by situations and humans conditions that transformed into works of art and as Yusuf stated it represented a ‘anguished being who yearned for a meaningful existence’. Man or woman on a canvas was a symbolic representation of the artist and framed into an abstract expression that moved towards the value and strength of black, a colour that he was inclined to use often in depicting enigmas of life.
A sculptor-painter by choice he chose a medium based on the expression he decided to work with. According to him, ‘each medium had its limitations and possibilities. Stone had to be natural and cannot be made very fragile. In metal you have to create the strength and required lot of engineering. But if you work in oil it is a medium that is really flexible and has its disadvantages.’ His inclination for three-dimensional works is seen in paintings, sculpture and murals.
He was also a writer, philanthropist and an organiser. An alumnus of Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath he often took part in activities that promoted art awareness. In March 1996, Yusuf played an active role in planning a memorable week long All India artists’ camp in the premises of Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bengaluru. Yusuf states in his catalogue note that, ‘it was an idea born during an evening chat with his friends Kiran Mazumdar and John Shaw’. It brought together some renowned artists of the country and served as a unique experience for art students and interested public who were allowed to observe artists at work. As an organiser and artist participant, Yusuf had shared the pressures of working amidst visitors and other responsibilities. “I could begin my work on the canvas only on the third day. The first 10 minutes when you get your ideas focussed is the most difficult time. If there is any disturbance you cannot paint or carry on. After that I have no problem. I generally finish in 2 or 3 hours and larger the canvas, I work faster. The only problem is that in those few hours I get very involved after which I am totally exhausted and drained.” There were evenings when Yusuf would prefer to write poems and as he had once said he used ‘words as a medium of expression instead of colours or lines.’ Even as a young boy he was a voracious reader and deeply influenced by the writings of many Malayalam writers and specially Basheer. ‘His colloquial language was very appealing, truthful and he was a very honest man. I was around 10-15 years around that time. My greatest ambition was to meet this man. I met him two years before his death and spent a lot of time with him. After his death I did a series of ten works based on him.’ On yet another occasion he sent 40 of his poems to well-known poet and author Kamala Das seeking her opinion. She chose 15 poems and wished him to publish them. Two of his poems ‘Paper works’ and The Painter’ are posted on his website. Later during an exhibition held last year in Bengaluru, Yusuf created a portrait of Kamala Das representative of his admiration for her. The monochromatic portrayal of the poet attributes a sense of enigma that the poet lived with. ‘Faces of Creativity’ was his last series that displayed 135 portraits of people he had worked with. Choosing to draw on the reverse side of a canvas with pen and ink the works remain a valuable legacy and anthology of Yusuf’s creative expressions at Sara Art Gallerie.
(Pramila Lochan is an art historian and writer based in Bengaluru)
