Mahesh T believes in art being straightforward, no layers of meaning underneath. And his exhibition of paintings at Vyloppilly Samskriti Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram, stays true to his belief. Horses are horses and Mohanlal is, well, Mohanlal. A realistic painter who is comfortable in all mediums, be it acrylic, oil or charcoal drawing, Mahesh’s collection of 20 paintings that is on exhibit do not follow a theme, instead, they showcase the level of perfection the 42-year-old has achieved as an artist.
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A native of Kottarakara, Mahesh recalls being fascinated by art even as a child. His parents, noticing his interest, enrolled him for a course in art. A keen observer of even the minutest of details, he soon excelled in sketching and painting portraits and started doing “commercial art” for the film world.
He started “becoming serious” about art after recreating a photograph of Kamal Hassan on paper. “It was for a former police official. The art gallery where the official got the painting framed asked about me and he gave them my number.” Mahesh soon became the gallery’s resident artiste. “That is when I started giving art my all.”
Practice over the years, he says, has helped him develop a technique akin to that of printmakers. He points to one of his favourite paintings, that of Mohanlal, as an example. The painting looks like an enlarged close-up photograph of the actor with the subtleties of tone used and fine brush strokes. Even a painting of an all smiles elderly tribal woman breathes life. Her smile is warm and there’s a twinkle in her eyes. “It all comes down to details like accurate perspective, the direction of light and its shadows…”
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The painting of the tribal woman, he says, was part of a series on tribal women. “These are women who are often marginalised by society; I wanted to highlight their indomitable spirit. I travelled across India to document women from different tribal communities in the country,” says Mahesh, who has also exhibited a series of his paintings on the rapid deforestation. The images he paints are often captured on camera, he says. “The photographs are however, mere references. My eyes are what capture the images in detail. My brush often takes a life of its own and adds a new dimension to the image,” says Mahesh, who feels art is a way to celebrate beauty.
The artist, who holds art classes in various parts of the city, says ‘Beauty is Truth’, his ongoing exhibition at Vyloppilly, was impromptu.
“The curator of the exhibition is a relative of mine. When he asked me if I could exhibit my paintings, I couldn’t refuse him,” says Mahesh who will exhibit some of his latest works at an upcoming show at Museum Art Gallery shortly. “I will also be conducting an exhibition in Kochi in connection with Leaf Art Projects next month.”
‘Beauty is Truth’ is on until April 11 .