CHENNAI: At the art exhibition titled ‘Disappearing Dwelling’ in Lalit Kala Akademi, artist K Vikram Varghese has painted compositions of old doors and windows, abandoned and dilapidated buildings, landscapes and some heritage architecture painted in harmonious water colours. They not only invoke a sense of nostalgia, but also are reflections of the artists’ travel experiences.
Looking at an art piece numbered ‘26’, Vikram recalls that it was done during his visit to the Kolkata in 2009. “This painting has a unique architecture and one of the structures resembles a lighthouse…it took me almost 10 days to finish this. But the sad part is, the structure is almost torn down,” he shares and adds that, he wants to document them for the future generation.
Vikram narrates that he has loved the medium of water colours since school and that becoming a full-time artist was always on the cards. “My father studied art, but he did not take it up as a career. He became a businessman…but he did not stop me from learning the arts and I did well in it, since school. I took training under Dhanushkodi, the famous artist,” he explains.
After training under his ‘guru’, Vikram left art for a brief period and joined a garment export company. “Since my calling was in art, I came back to Chennai and have been a student of Dhanushkodi for almost two decades,” says Vikram.
He calls water colours his ‘first love’ and says, “There is some sort of vibration towards the medium…the colours, the washes, the composition…it instantly makes me pick up the brush and paint!” claims the artist who considers art director Thotta Tharani and famous sculptor Mani Nagappa as his inspiration.
“My guru is my first inspiration and these two people follow. I am inspired by their works and even had the chance to work under Mani,” he gushes.
From the famous North Madras in Chennai to Pune, and Mt Sinai in Egypt, Vikram has captured and documented compositions that he claims, ‘gave him immense happiness’. For example, pointing to one of his ‘favourite picks’ — a window that he spotted in one of the narrow lanes of George Town, he reminisces, “I have been visiting that area for almost seven years.
I either take a train or a bus to reach George Town, walk along the roads and take colour notes and sketches. One such day, I was walking along the crisscross-congested lanes and found a broken window. I was immediately attracted to it and started taking colour notes…but now, I don’t remember where I saw it!” he laughs.
Beauty spots and intricate detailing make his art pieces one-of-a-kind and he claims that the art of using realism in water colour is slowly vanishing. “Some of these compositions can also be showcased in oils but nothing can beat water colours. Be it warm or cool colours, water has the ability to harmonise them and give a composition that’s beautiful, especially when the colours decide to take their own path,” says the painter, looking at the undefined borders.
Doesn’t he want to experiment with a different medium? “I would like to stick to water colours, but I will probably try oils and charcoal sometime soon! For now, water colours calm me…it’s relaxing and meditative. I even paint from morning to night!” he adds.
(The art exhibition will be open until Feb 19, from 11 am to 7 pm at Lalit Kala Akademi)