KOCHI: Lore and legend come alive on canvas depicting myriad themes inspired from the Dhyana slokas and from rich epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata at the ongoing exhibition of Kerala mural paintings - Punarjani, at Durbar Hall Art Gallery. The exhibition marks the determination and dedication of 13 artists coming from various walks of life after completing a one year short term mural painting course from Vasthuvidya Gurukulam at Aranmula.
“Punarjani is a group show by the first batch of students who have completed the short term mural painting course. Age, qualification and profession were the last criterion that mattered in this course,” says Diana Sunil, a business woman from Karunagappally. She has displayed her nine works at the expo which are predominantly inspired from the Dhyana slokas. Diana has deftly stroked the fierce and intense emotions of Lord Shiva in her ‘Aghora Shivam’ acrylic on canvas piece. “I was inspired by Ettumanoor temple deity but in the painting I have incorporated another puranic story as well. Inorder to test Lord Shiva’s power, three hermits come in disguise. One hermit transforms himself into a snake but the lord identifies him and bites him, transforming the hermit back to the human avatar,” explains Diana. In ‘Parvathichamayam’, she has recreated Lord Parvathy and her maids embellishing the devi before her nuptial with Lord Shiva.
A homemaker from Kollam with no professional art backing, Aswathy Unnikrishnan’s huge acrylic work on canvas recreates ‘Radhekrishna’ in a ‘Sammohanakrishna’ posture. The painting symbolises the man-woman union of love, and creation through half painted body of Lord Krishna and other half as Radha.
A freelance photographer by profession who was fascinated by the mythological characters, Aji Jayachandran’s ‘Narasimha Moorthy’, depicts an aggresive Narasimha while ‘Dhanwanthari Moorthy’ - the God of ayurvedic medicine and ‘Vishwakarmav’, the greatest architect, all show the artist’s detailing and the judicious use of mural colours. Sujatha Vinodsanker, a self taught artist’s paintings stand out for their bold touch of contemporary themes. Being a loyal Krishna devotee, her paintings portray Lord Krishna along with herself and her spectacles as a signature mark. “Krishna is not only with Radha, but the Lord is now with Sujatha too,” says the artist beamingly. In another canvas, the artist’s profound strokes has reproduced Lord Krishna’s key life events, beginning with his birth to death while in ‘Vasthrapaharnam’, she has depicted the mischievous Krishna who steals clothes of gopikas. Pramod Neelakandan’s awe-inspiring piece titled ‘Vinayaki’ is a unique blend of Lord Ganapati in a dancing posture adorning feminine curvaceous features and his ‘Venugopalam’ and ‘Ananthasana Vishnu’ shows the unending passion of the artist for mural painting.
Another homemaker who was lured into mural painting is Veena Ashok whose Saraswati and Garuda vahana vishnu shows the artist’s adeptness to depict traditional art in a novel light.
Eldho Kuriakose who treads the path of mural art has done a beautiful piece titled ‘Saktipanchakshari’ which pictures a happy and content family through Lord Shiva and Parvathy.
Sticking to traditional motifs and inspired from the Ramayana is Jayasree’s paintings titled Sree Rama Pattabhishekam and Ashok vana Seeta. In Binu Anayadi’s ‘Ashtadikpalakar’, the artist has portrayed the eight gods ruling the eight zones of the universe in bright red, yellow, red and green colours. Shidha S Kumar’s Malliyoor Ganapati is another highlighting creation in the show.
Carving a different niche for herself is Sonam Pedon’s mural paintings on Buddha. “I am making my baby steps in mural painting and Buddha has a special place inside my heart,” says Sonam born to a Malayalee father and Buddhist mother. Monisha Ratheesh’s Bala Ganapati and Mini Krishnakumar’s Ananthasana Vishnu are the other awe-inspiring paintings in the expo.The 40 paintings on display at Punarjani will conclude in June 29.