Murals....the Kerala Legacy

The south Indian state of Kerala boasts a rare cultural tradition that permeates the entire lifestyle of the Malayali. Artistic traditions handed down through generations are a constant reminder of those days of cultural renaissance and somewhere in the long past the technique of painting the Kerala murals was perfected. Murals occupy a special place in Indian, particularly Kerala, society. Those early artists of Kerala have contributed immensely to the development of the mural tradition. Religious iconography apart, murals are also cultural expressions of a people. It reflects the aesthetic, artistic and creative aspirations of a society. Kerala murals are said to have their roots in "Kalamezhuthu" a ritualistic Dravidian art form. The earliest murals in Kerala date back to the 9th century.The oldest murals in Kerala were discovered in the rock-cut cave temple of Thirunandikkara, which is now in the Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu. However the mural tradition seems to have flourished around the 15th century. Murals adorn the walls of numerous palaces, temples and churches of Kerala. The murals at Padmanabhapuram Palace, the Gajendramoksham mural at Krishnapuram palace, the Mattancheri murals and so on are in a league of their own.

The theme of the painting also has a unique bearing on the range of colours used. According to ancient texts there are three broad qualities assigned to superhuman, human and sub human beings, viz Satwa (the noblest), Rajas (the active and middle principle) and Tamas (the dark and destructive principle) respectively.To represent Satwik quality green and shades of green were used. Characters of a Rajasik quality were portrayed in red or golden and the Tamasik nature of the gods were represented not by black but in white, white demons and demonesses were represented by black.

I have always been fascinated by this rich artistic legacy of Kerala which has defied time and is today almost synonymous with the religious iconography of Kerala's temples. Here I've made a juvenile attempt at making murals.....not in the traditional way though ....using water colours.

The Desert Series

I firmly believe that a particular type of landscape can literally hold your imagination captive at some point or the other. For me right now it is the desert landscape.....The Thar....that Great Indian Desert which apart from being a biogeographic unit of the subcontinent is the birthplace of a unique desert culture. The dusty earthy hues of the sand dunes that dominate the landscape provide a perfect backdrop to the vividly colourful life that a Rajasthani leads. Be it the multicoloured ghaghra cholis or intricately designed shell and metal ornaments, be it cheerfully loud turbans or mirror worked kurtas- the colours of Rajasthan can prove to be a challenge and inspiration at the same time. The colours that stand out starkly against the pale dusty environs seem to remind us of the desert dwellers verve for life amidst hardships unimaginable to most of us. There is an enduring and timeless quality about their culture and life style which makes it a captivating study in contrasts, literally and metaphorically.
I have tried to bring out my fascination for the desert culture of the Thar through a series of paintings. Each one depicts a scene or moment that the desert can uniquely claim as its own....

The story of how it all began

Once upon a time a little girl in Trivandrum, Kerala came across a little pencil stub.....and a suitably large canvas ( otherwise known as a WALL!). Grown-up eyes, which are likely to be critical about artistic experiments on the bedroom wall, being conveniently occupied elsewhere, our little protagonist proceeded to cover a large part of the wall within her reach with a fantastic collection of doodles....huge skeletal men with impossibly big heads, a flower pot with a long curvy stalk and a single flower as large as the sun, several floating heads with cheeky smiles and L-shaped noses, a Tudor house with a disproportionately big chimney from which several wisps of curly smoke escaped, a large shoal of fishes, gigantic trees with spindly trunks......It was great fun and nearly worth the spanking she got after a certain pair of grown-up eyes discovered the budding Picasso hot at work. well Ouch! it still hurts to remember......:-)

Well soon after, our little protagonist was given a box of wax crayons along with a warning that the Wall was strictly off limits. She was asked to exercise her artistic energies on a drawing book and leave the wall alone. To her credit the girl settled happily enough to the task of applying her genius to the poor book and it was several hours until she approached the wall again!

ouch! that hurts! Mommy's spanking again, because the wall's off limits child!

Well the little girl's parents finally understood that they had an artist on their hands and that it was time to gift her the piece de resistance.....

A WATERCOLOUR SET!!!

And that was how I started painting at the age of three.....

( all the events and characters related above are strictly real and resemblance to any person dead or living is purely intentional. Retrieved from the memoirs of Dad, Mom, Grandma....)

About the nitty gritties of Art

First things first....

I've written about plein air painting elsewhere on the blog. Guess I should've mentioned what it is alongside(as pointed out in the comments.)

The term 'Plein Air' painting has been derived from the French expression "En plein air" which translated loosely means 'in open air'. In the context of art it particularly refers to painting outdoors.Wikipedia enlightens us further that although artists have long been painting outdoors, it was in the mid-1800s that it gained immense popularity. French Impressionist movement and its pioneers such as Claude Monet, Pissaro and Renoir played a phenomenal role in popularizing the concept of plein air painting.

To know more about plein air paintinting check out this link: http://painting.about.com/od/landscapes/a/plein_air_paint.htm

Autumn Glory

I really enjoy making landscape paintings.... nature is truly inspiring and the beauty of the seasons are well just mind-blowing! Living in a tropical clime so close to the equator, there is some exotic quality about autumn, spring and winter which makes me wish i could really see for myself the magic that each season wroughts over the terrain. Plein air painting is just great and one day i hope to really paint the magic of the seasons while actually experiencing it somewhere, maybe France.

I made this picture based on a photograph. I have tried to capture the beauty of autumnal kisses which manifest in a breath-taking riot of colors. Acrylic on canvas board. would love to hear your comments.

Water Lilies again.....

By now you must have a pretty good idea why i said i find Monet irresistible. Hehehehe, like me he too apparently had this thing for plein air painting and he excelled at making the most amazing water lily paintings.

More Water lilies

Again this has been done with oil pastels on black pastel paper. I had this idea of making a painting on a square format and i really did not have the heart to throw away the left over rectangular piece and there it is ..... a pair of white water lilies. I based this painting on a picture i had seen somewhere.

Monet Revisited!

Claude Monet is definitely my favorite impressionist painter. Of all his paintings 'Water Lilies' continues to impress and inspire generations of artists and art lovers the world over. I find myself constantly drawn to the theme of water lilies, Japanese bridges and water gardens. Monet's garden itself is of such virgin beauty....wild, untamed and mystical. The water lilies and the luxurious undergrowth add an element of mystery. You find yourself delving deeper into the painting searching for secrets that tend to remain tantalizingly hidden. I made this paintings last month. A very ambitious yet modest attempt.

I discovered the joy of oil pastels only last year and decided to try out something on pastel paper...Water lilies keep enchanting me, if a theme could be called a muse then this definitely would be it.

I intend to make a pilgrimage to Giverny someday and gaze upon the water lilies in the master's garden.