He loves clouds and his dream as a child was to fly. Muralidharan Alagar loves watching his two little children running around, playing and having their little dreams. His collection of paintings titled Hide and Seek, showcases the same on canvas, and is displayed at Vinnyasa Premier Art Gallery .“I love watching children run around and happy in their own little world. I was inspired by my children Amiltha, who is in Class 5 and Akhil, who is in Class 1,” he says.
His paintings not just have clouds, but also his son and daughter. He points to a painting where Akhil is blindfolded and Amiltha is running behind him, and another, one in which the two seem to be jumping on a gigantic lotus leaf. His paintings hold both realism and abstract elements.
“Abstract is very interesting. Ten different people will have 10 different interpretations about the same art,” he says.
This acrylic lover uses the impasto technique where raw colours are splashed on the canvas. It took him a few months to complete his collection — all result of his imagination, observation and a lot of research. He shows his favourite painting of two boys playing with a tyre. “That’s me and my friend. I used to love playing with a tire as a child,” he says.
Though he chose software engineering as his career, Muralidharan’s passion for paint and brushes never died. Wherever his work took him, he formed a group of art lovers. He is the co-founder of Chennai Weekend Artists — a group of art lovers which meets on weekends. “One of the inspirations for me was the street artists in the US, who sat at New York Central for hours and painted. Other mentors include Illustrator Marudu, Mark Ratnaraj and Ramasuresh. They guided me throughout,” says Muralidharan.
With full support from his wife, who is also an artist, Muralidharan is happy with the response from enthusiasts for his exhibition. “ The feedback has been good, but yes, the little criticism I’ve got will help me improve,” he says.
The Hide and Seek Collection is showcased at Vinnyasa Premier Art Galery, Mylapore between 11 am and 7 pm till July 18. For more details, contact Muralidharan at 09840082098.