Yusuf Arakkal first learnt about Jesus Christ from his grandmother. Years later, on December 31, 1999, an artist of repute, Yusuf stood in front of an 8 ft by 8 ft canvas titled The Crucifixion and Resurrection . “It was my tribute to Christ as the millennium personality,” says Yusuf, adding, “This painting took me almost six months to complete. After years of planning, I began to paint the first canvas of Christ in 1999. It took me almost 10 years to begin a series on Christ’s life. I have completed about 15 works on Christ. They are of various sizes – most of them large, depicting the important moments of his life. The largest canvas, The Last Supper is 18 feet long and six feet wide.”
Enter Yusuf’s spacious studio with panels of natural light streaming in, the air mysterious and magnanimous with life size, life-like renditions of Christ. As the artist stands aside, watching his works, you witness the bond he shares with his subject.
A bond, which began with the stories that Yusuf’s grandmother narrated to him. “She told me about Christ and Krishna. I was fascinated by their lives and also happen to share my birthday, which falls on Janmashtami with Krishna. When I grew up and began to read more about Christ, his teachings and message of compassion, I began to consider him my hero. Later, I saw paintings of Christ by eminent artists including Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci. The works fascinated me and I began painting small portraits of Christ for friends. Then, a desire to paint Christ in a big way began to sprout. There was a problem as Christ’s life is one of the most universally-popular themes by artists, for centuries. I wanted to approach Christ differently. I decided to paint Christ the personae, not Christ the divinity.”
Paint, brush, Yusuf and the canvas in confluence with each other, for hours together, create the language of art in his intimate world, his studio.
“My greatest desire since childhood was to become an artist. Though I had to go through a lot of struggles doing various kinds of jobs to sustain myself, life always revolved around my studio space with my canvas, paint, clay, wax and stone. I was very happy when I could build a large studio and begin working there.” Yusuf was happy painting even in his previous crammed studio space. “I painted the 1983 National award winning large canvas ‘Still on the pavement’ in a room that was just ten feet by ten feet,” he says, adding, “Barring having small breaks for meals, I work as long as the canvas demands. Nothing gives me as much pleasure as my canvas and paint.”
The outcome of Yusuf’s pleasure is much appreciated by the art world. Along with his multitude of accolades came the Ravi Varma last year. “Though I am happy to get recognition from my native state Kerala, I do not waste time basking in the glory. Since the award, I travelled to Europe a couple of times, to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. All these trips have been short, since I wanted to concentrate on the Christ series,” says Yusuf.
As the artist continues on his journey of connections and colours, art plays a role in the life of the connoisseur and the common man. “At one point I used to carry a few canvases in my jeep to nearby villages and put them on top of the vehicle for villagers to see. They appreciated the work, asked lots of questions and treated me to their hospitality.”
