Is art for art sake? Two aspiring artists seem to deny it and prove that it certainly has a social purpose! Bringing rural life in canvas, their brushes hold enough promise. The duo from Coimbatore, school students at that, have planned a show of their works to garner support for those affected in the Himalayan Tsunami that had ravaged Uttarakhand.
The theme of the show by M Keerthikasree and S Shurwin Selv has been christened as ‘Village Life’. Their paintings recreate life in the hinterland in its entirety. Various shades of the village are given a creative touch providing a new meaning besides adding more colour and vibrancy.They are no Ravi Varma or a Salvadore Dali. Yet, they want to reach out to the people of Uttarakhand with their brush by deciding to provide the collections to the government’s relief fund for Uttarakhand.
A class nine student of SBOA Matric Higher Secondary School, Keerthikasree took to painting as a hobby at the age of three. To her credit, her works have been part of four painting shows held at Coimbatore. In 2011, she won the Tamil Nadu Government’s State Award for her paintings.
Speaking to City Express, Keerthikasree said, “I am passionate about painting from my childhood. I like to capture my thoughts and expressions in the canvas. Figurative paintings continue to engage my mind.”
Similarly, S Shurwin Selv, a seventh class student of Stanes ICSE School, in the textile city started dabbling with the brush from the age of five. So far, he had exhibited paintings in six exhibitions of which five were group shows in Coimbatore and one solo show in Singapore.
“I like acrylic because it allows me to easily make any changes that jump into my mind during work. Working on watercolors is challenging,” said Shurwin to City Express. The duo is groomed by A Farooque Sha.
“Till now we mostly had group shows. For the first time, we are exhibiting our paintings in Chennai under the theme ‘Village Life’,” said Keerthikasree.
The painting exhibition of the duo slated for Friday at Gallery Sri Parvati, Alwarpet is to be inaugurated by classical vocalist Dr M Balamuralikrishna. It would be open till July 14.