Vivek Rajagopal
KOCHI: When Vivek Rajagopal was just four years old, it was the superheroes that became his muse. He took tender steps into the world of art by sketching superheroes, drawing inspiration from the many cartoon books he read when young. He started out learning the art of drawing by himself. Never did he feel the need to get formal training, because he feared that a tutor’s style would reflect in his paintings.
“It was always trial and error. I learnt from my mistakes. I was sure that I will not learn from anyone. You might make a lot of mistakes, but that is how you learn,” says Vivek, an IT professional who works in Technopark.
While young, getting prizes in competitions helped him gain a foothold in art and instilled the much-needed confidence. Now, for this young artist, art is what infuses happiness. It is the nature and daily sightings that inspire him in creating artworks. A night person, it is mostly during the weekends that he creates art. Vivek has two criteria that need to be fulfilled. Music is a must. He always plugs in some heavy metal music before he starts working. “Music brings in the much needed creative flow,” says Vivek. And the next one, night has to settle in. “I start working after two in the morning. The quietude brings the perfect setting to create art as there is no disturbance,” he says.
Vivek feels that no medium can reach out to people like art can. Recently he came out with a painting titled ‘Demons of Depression’, etching the pain a depressed person undergoes. “Social stigma is huge. And the painting was one which reflected on the issue. Through art, we get to send across a message and gets to intervene in social issues positively,” says Vivek.
In the age of digital art, he hopes to create artworks that can beat the perfection of digital art.
