Sporting a bright red turban and a handlebar moustache, a man with a blowing horn and a drum can be seen guiding a bullock. Adorned with celebratory clothes and decorations of every colour possible (even on the horns), the decked-up bullock meekly follows the master. As the bright colours take the fore, one cannot help but embrace the festivity in the picture — this is not a photograph, but a painting.
Not far from it, in another one, a group of young boys can be seen running through the streets, guiding their tires with a stick; one of the moving tires comes alive through the subtle curve that speaks of its motion. For artist Sivabalan S, these are slice of life images that he chances upon every now and then, as the title of his solo show in Soul Spice Gallery suggests — The Celebration of Life.
When asked if realism was his forte, Sivabalan clarifies, “Semi-realism is the word. They appear as real as they can get but as you observe more carefully, they don’t give away all details.” The viewer’s assumption plays a seminal role in reading the paintings. Mostly done in watercolour (which he says is a “magic medium”) on paper and about a couple in acrylic on canvas, the works feature real scenes and people who unsuspectingly go about their day, sans filters.
Like, the back portrait of a fisherwoman, who carries on her head, a basket brimming with the day’s catch. Though her face is not visible, the loosely worn sari (worn out by several continuous days of work), the strands of hair out of place, and even the pace of her gait are noticeable. More so, they help recreate a similar scene — this time in motion — in the viewer’s mind.
“I grew up in Kumbakonam and I still remember passing through fields and markets to get to my college. Later, I discovered that the colour and rhythm in such sights reflected in my works,” says the artist. He completed his MFA in Government Arts College, Kumbakonam and has been displaying works since 2000.
Kumbakonam is also a temple capital and the cultural value that comes with it, features largely in his paintings, says Sivabalan. “Another thing that fascinates me is their ability to celebrate even through hardships. Despite their economic situations, their happiness shows when it comes to a village festival,” he continues. His frequent interactions with his subjects — an attempt to understand them better — add value to his works. Though he started with landscape, as years went by, he moved to figurative works that he felt captured even small moments in time.
Apart from temple festivals and daily sights, elephants feature often in Sivabalan’s works. “Amma has told me that I used to do sketches of elephants right from when I started drawing as a child. I don’t know... the majestic and magnanimous figure inspires me a lot. So much so that I feel like a majestic elephant myself when I work on them,” he says.
As a child, the artist was intrigued by his mother’s Margazhi kolams and started helping her, and even the neighbourhood, with their kolams during the season of Pongal. “My neighbours would call me to sketch maadu (cows) and karimbu (sugarcane) for Pongal. I have woken up at 4.30 am to do this,” laughs the artist who has displayed his works in over 17 countries.
All his works are untitled, because Sivabalan believes that his paintings should speak for themselves. “I have also done a lot of back portraits because I believe that the viewers need not necessarily see the face to understand what the subject is going through,” he says. As for the white background of his watercolour works, the artist says that he wanted his subjects on the fore — “I don’t want the background to overshadow that which matters.”
The artist’s works will be on display till December 31, at Soul Spice gallery, Mylapore
