Iruvan Karunakaran’s name may not figure prominently in the list of artists hosted by Hyderabad art galleries. He is among those who’ve been soldiering on, relying on word of mouth publicity from art patrons. One of his paintings of the Old City on a rain-soaked day was shared on twitter (@wearehyderabad) recently and caught attention.
“I’ve been painting monsoon themes for four to five years,” Karunakaran tells us, as he speaks about his frames that recreate rain-drenched streets of Hyderabad, Varanasi, Kolkata and Madurai. He’s done more than 40 paintings in which Charminar finds a space in the frame. Then, there are others featuring the Char Kaman or Mozamjahi market. The reason is more than capturing the city’s flavour. “I’m drawn to shapes and then colours. These landmark heritage structures lend a distinct texture to the painting and draw viewers’ attention. If you notice, only a few structures or elements are painted in a detailed manner. Not every person, vehicle or object gets amplified. I prefer simple, uncluttered frames,” he explains.
Karunakaran photographs streets and tweaks the visual composition for his paintings. A simple daylight photograph is his reference point. Then, he imagines the location on a cloudy, rainy day and visualises the colours palette and reflections on a wet day. He likes the old world charm. So, in place of luxury cars, he brings in the Ambassador, cycles, auto rickshaws, street-side vendors or even horse-drawn carriages in the frame. All this harks back to his small town moorings.
Karunakaran hails from a village near Madurai and grew up observing rural life. He studied bachelor in fine arts in Kumbakonam, moved to Hyderabad in 2000 for work. “I worked in the animation industry and later an IT company and painted whenever I found time. I wasn’t happy with what is perceived to be a secure job. I wanted to pursue art full time,” he says. Karunakaran quit his job six years ago.
He showcased his work once at Iconart gallery and had occasionally at Beyond Coffee. Eventually, happy clients helped him find more buyers. Today, he ships paintings to buyers in the US, UAE and Spain.
Karunakaran’s frames may have the oil-on-canvas effect but most of his works are acrylic on canvas using palette knife. He prefers applying colours with the knife to arrive at textures. “Oil on canvas takes longer time to dry. Acrylic dries within minutes in summer and in a couple of hours in monsoon. So the work is quick,” he says.
