Master carpenter Perumthachan, an important figure in Kerala folklore, stares out of many mural paintings displayed at Art Houz gallery. Artist Vishnu Vikraman has dedicated his series to the legend of Perumthachan who is believed to have killed his own son out of jealousy. “There are many tellings of this story, but my version is based on K B Sreedevi’s novel Agnihothram. Perumthachan’s story continues to be source of artistic expression,” says Vikraman. One painting shows Perumthachan at work, and the others highlight the scenes where Kannan (his son) learns the art from his father. Kannan earns praise from the King and the public, and one sees the growing jealousy on Perumthachan’s face in the paintings. The final painting shows Perumthachan dropping his chisel that falls on his son and kills him!”
“I have taken a few artistic liberties and introduced additional characters. Mural art in natural colours was primarily done inside temples in Kerala and therefore usually highlights the gods. Even today, only five colours - yellow, red, green, black and white- are allowed. But we have added blue for our contemporary interpretation,” he says.
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Artist Rajesh Pulappatta shows us his Magdalene Mariam series of mural paintings. Magdalene Mariam’s life story is depicted, right from her birth, her becoming a sex worker and her amassing of wealth before she becomes a disciple of Jesus. “ I have used figurative drawings, and Western art influences to highlight architecture and decor of the times by painting tall ceilings, tinted glasses, wine jars and flower vases. Bright colours signify wealth. The expression on Magdalene’s as she washes Jesus’s feet, shows the innate goodness of people,” he explains.
Both the Kerala artists have done their bachelor of fine arts from Sri Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit in Kalady and an MFA from Santiniketan in West Bengal. They have displayed their work at exhibitions across India. Describing Mural Art they say,“There are no limitations. We have terracotta murals, tile murals, and ones inspired by Italian frescos,” says Rajesh, as he scrolls the images on his phone to show some of his terracotta mural work. Vishnu adds how each painting takes months to complete. “If you observe closely, the work is minute where we have used dots as strokes,” he adds as he points to his series on parakeets that also have a golden-tinted finish.
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Rajesh’s Shiva Tandavam depicts Nataraja dancing on the demon (representing the negative energy). Elsewhere there is an ektara player, in natural colours extracted from red stone, yellow stone, green leaves and coal that the artists say can remain unchanged for many hundred years. “During our days in Santiniketan, we have seen so many baul singers walking around singing those soulful songs,” recalls Vishnu.
In Rajesh’s work on the Thirayattam art form of Kerala the performer is depicted as a deity. “All the motifs on their costumes are connected to mural art,” he explains. Along with traditional paintings like Anandasayanam (the sleeping posture of Lord Vishnu in Vaikuntam) and eight forms of Asthalakshmi, you will also find contemporary art works of a farmer setting out to save a tree and women listening to music on their ear phones, all plugged to the same mobile phone! There is a painting inspired by the poem Vazhakula where a happy family stands in a banana grove .... Says Rajesh, whose 15 ft wide panel work on Ashtalakshmi graces the walls at Santiniketan, “While the traditional mural art highlights individuals, we also celebrate the surroundings, environment, nature and greenery.”
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The exhibition is open till July 28; 10.00 am to 6.00 pm
The paintings are for sale. Price on request
For details, call: 0422-4335777