Stained glass artist Prabhakaran Kanichar, who has showcased some of his works at the ‘Inside-Outside Mega Show' on the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium premises, has over the past 25 years mastered and deftly customised what was originally a European classical art.
After he got drawn to the art in Mumbai way back in 1987, Mr. Kanichar struck gold with it in Oman, where he was commissioned to recreate historical monuments and Islamic motifs on stained glass.
His repertoire is rich with stunning works of art carved using cathedral, antique, opalescent and water glasses bonded with lead-came; three-dimensional etchings and portraits; recreated miniature monuments, immortal characters and classical sculptures; and tiffany lampshades, thus straddling motifs from the Gothic, abstract, mythical, religious, literary, floral and contemporary. Mr. Kanichar has to his credit several series — on Biblical themes, the Buddha, Islamic motifs including calligraphy, works based on the sculptures of Khajuraho, and those on artist Namboodiri's illustrations. A portrait of the Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said, on display at the show here, is testimony to the intricacy of stained glass work.
Mr. Kanichar's dream, however, is a monumental work in New Delhi on the art, cultural and scientific history of the country. After obtaining a copyright for the project envisaged as a 20-storey national glass art museum, he submitted a detailed proposal to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “It would be the country's biggest tourist attraction, featuring in stained glass art the folk and cultural traditions of all the States”. Meanwhile, his team at ‘Fantasies on Glass' at Kalavomkodam near Cherthala is happy to custom-make mementos and works based on contemporary motifs for corporates and celebrities.
