Inside a narrow street in Sellur, Painter Ezhil and his four-member team are busy with a portrait of Kamal Haasan on the compound wall of a handloom mill. At 7 a.m., the artists are oblivious to the world around. Ezhil dips his brush into a tin of bright red paint and makes multiple strokes on the damp surface of the wall. He coats the red with a layer of pink and white to match the photo of the actor in his hand. Painter TamilKumaran works on the moustache in another portrait. “Last week, we drew Rajnikanth for a fan club here. Now Kamal fans want to show their love for their favourite star. We get to earn a livelihood,” says TamilKumaran. “We have to finish four drawings by noon,” he says wiping the sweat off his forehead with paint-freckled fingers.
On the next street, inside a thatched-roof hutment atop a mechanic shop, 40-year-old Jegadeesan is painting the image of a King. Squatting on the floor, he narrows his eyes on to the plywood board before adding a thin line of silver shine to the sword. “This is for a jaathi sangam (caste organization). These days, they prefer strong wooden boards. The flex ones are easily damaged by rival groups and it results in clashes,” he says, applying a fresh coat of gold to the king’s silk dhoti.
Jegadeesan’s humble art studio called ‘Deiva arts’ is one among few such dingy attics in Sellur, inside which the street-painters of Madurai pour their creativity out. A life size hand-painted cut out of Rajnikanth stands in one corner of the room. “It was ordered for a film shoot for Siva Karthikeyan’s upcoming Madurai-based movie,” informs the painter. “Last year for Stalin’s birthday, I made a life size cut out that was transported to Chennai. I have also made 100 feet cut outs of Alagiri and Jayalalithaa before,” he beams.
Madurai has 2,000 such painters who toil by the street side bringing to life the images of political leaders, actors and Gods, writing slogans for ad campaigns, announcing mega events or making colourful graffiti. “Much of our work these days comes from political parties. They give us painting orders/contracts ahead of any leader’s visit or event. Painting of film posters has become a thing of the past. The last time I painted a cloth banner for a theatre here was for the film ‘Pollathavan’ in 1980,” recalls Kalai, a painter of 40 years.
Roots in politicsMarudhu, the district president of Tamil Nadu Artists Association says the history of street-art in Tamil Nadu has its roots in Dravidian politics that swept the state in the 60’s. “We wrote graffiti for the self-respect movement by Periyar and the anti-Hindi agitation led by Anna. The streets became a medium of expression, a voice for the labour class then,” says the 65-year-old, who dropped out of studies and landed in Madurai from a village near Sivagangai to become a street artist. For years, Marudhu had a hand-to-mouth existence earning Rs.Three a day at the Selvaraj Arts in Sellur. As a trainee painter he coloured the background or drew grid lines.
In the early 80’s when government ads formed a major share of street-messages/art, awareness on family planning and diseases of those times such as TB, AIDS, polio, chicken pox took centre stage.
With popular cine star MGR becoming the Chief Minister, political paintings became the order of the day. “Cinema-poster artists turned to drawing realistic images of the star-turned-politician and other leaders,” says Marudhu. “I can never forget the first portrait of MGR I drew at Tamukkam for the first World Tamil Conference in Madurai. I showed him laughing in his trademark way.”
Seasonal workPainters of the old times cite Rooban Arts in Panthadi as a place that specialized in portraits. “It was run by one Mr. M.S.Rangachari, a famed artist of those times. Around 300 painters learnt the business from him,” says Marudhu. But none of those skilled painters or their good-old studios exists today. “There used to be at least 200 art studios in Sellur and Arapalayam. Now, hardly 10 or 15 remain. Painters have taken to odd jobs for a regular income and street art has become a seasonal work,” rues Marudhu. “Ever since, flex boards rose in popularity a decade ago, it has spelt doom for street-art. It’s easy, instant and cheap and people prefer it. Earlier during elections, we used to paint all day. Now, there’s a ban on wall art ahead of elections.”
“Painting is time-consuming and tiring. It fetches us between Rs.200 to 500 per day with which we also have to buy the paint, brushes and other materials besides our personal requirements and other needs,” says Jegadeesan. “We usually charge per square feet and depending on the work. For instance if we have to paint Gods and Goddesses, then the rate is more as the work is intricate.”
Apart from reproducing an image to perfection, the artists also exhibit their creativity in the colours and fonts used. “Nothing is planned in street-art, says Murugaiyya, an old painter. Several additions and modification are done as the painting progresses. The artists have developed their own inventory of fonts to suit various subjects/words. “One should be good in line-drawings to be a successful street painter,” he points out. The street artists are adept in drawing on all kinds of walls --rough and smooth, sometimes even on the cement blocks of pavements. “We cannot afford to make mistakes as street is a medium that is out in the open for everyone to see,” says Murugaiyya.
