At ‘Shades and Shadows’, a painting exhibition organised at the Museum Auditorium by the Kerala Chitrakala Parishath, it is not just the versatile works of art that catch one’s attention, but also the diversity among the artists who created them.
While some of them, like 88-year old K. Gopala Menon, a former employee of Small Industries Development Corporation Ltd, are self-taught artists who have been cultivating art as a hobby, certain others like Shibu Raj S.K. are professional artists. Nonetheless, all of them are lifelong students of art, says, Mr. Shibu Raj.
The myriad backgrounds of the 27 artists included in the line-up are reflected in their works, which depict scenes from everyday life, such as a sleeping baby and a farmer ploughing his field, as well as symbolic portrayals of issues like sexual violence and global warming. Murals and landscapes are also among the lot. The highlight of the exhibition, which includes around 50 works in all, is a fiber-glass sculpture created by Mr. Shibu Raj, titled ‘Prananum Pranayavum.’ It is of a freshwater fish, caught with an iron hook in its mouth, while another fish is mating with it, even as it is writhing in pain from the hook.
‘Shades and Shadows’ marks the 20th anniversary of the Kerala Chithrakala Parishath, founded in 1997 under the leadership of M. Sanathanan, former Principal of the Government College of Fine Arts, Thiruvananthapuram. As part of the anniversary, the Parishath is organising year-long programmes, including painting camps for children, street art fetes, nature study camps, as well as special exhibitions of art works by women and senior citizens.
