KOCHI: Art is a blend of emotion and nostalgia for Anusaj. Childhood memories, stories he heard from his parents, and even the images he witnesses in his daily life, all become part of his extensive oeuvre.
Most of his works have some dark quality to them the colours, the setting and even nature at its wildest all contribute to deeply vivid imageries. However, not all of them are dark. Some are crafted sensitively, with emotions pouring out of each line.
The Velichappad is all dark and red the ancient oracle, a follower of goddess Kali, appears by a kaavu under the moonlit sky. In contrast, the painting of a knife sharpener is warm. The knife sharpener, who Anusaj met on an Indian street amid the hustle-bustle of city life, is recreated in the middle of vibrant nature. He is standing on the road, amid green foliage, doing his job the phrase ‘embraced by nature’ comes alive here. “While recreating a scene, I don’t want to lose the originality. Especially while painting my village — the scenic beauty of my village is something I can never compromise on,” he says.
Tracing the beginning
According to Anusaj, it all started when he won a drawing competition organised by a local club in Kozhikode. He was just a kid then, However, from then on he decided his future will be about art. Now, settled in Bengaluru as an art director in an advertising agency, he is creating waves on Instagram under the name arappiri.varayan during his free time.
“I started participating in drawing competitions when I was four. It was my father who guided me into the world of painting. He was also interested in art,” says the young artist. Anusaj started learning art at the age of 13, under artist Shaji N S. “During free time, I used to go to an art shop that makes banners. I used to help out at the store. It was also part of my learning,” he adds. And while it was time to go for higher studies, Anusaj didn’t have to think much. “I was lucky that I could pursue fine arts for higher studies. At a time when parents usually want their children to be either a doctor or an engineer, my parents took a different turn,” he adds.
Anusaj started putting out his artworks on social media during the pandemic lockdown in 2020. “During the pandemic, I came back home to Kerala. From a busy urban life to a sudden calm environment. That is when I started an Instagram account,” he says. The account arappiri.varayan soon gained followers for the art as well as the name, though he takes his dear time to update new works. “Now, no one will know my real name, I am known as arappiri.varayan,” he says.
Language of hues
Anusaj is known for how he uses colours and for his ever-changing art style. “Yes, many comments about the colours I use. However, I make sure the colours don’t overpower the emotion of the subject. I try to bring out the emotion as much as possible without losing the gradient of the hues,” he says.
“I’m a night person and that is the reason why most backgrounds are dark,” he quips. However, when it comes to nostalgic childhood memories, it all changes. Characters with innocent dewy eyes playing in the yard, orchard, water and attic all appear in his frames reminding all of the summer vacations in the 90s.
“If for a journalist the pen is their weapon, my sword is my art,” he adds. Anusaj never refrains from being political in his art. Be it his response to the farmers’ protests, or the atrocities against women, he always gives a part of himself to causes near to his heart.
His painting So Scared shows a dark woman being picked on by a pack of crows. She is standing tall while scared and the crows depict the multitude of atrocities discrimination and abuses she faces in daily life.
Unlike most artists, Anusaj can easily pick his favourite work — the ‘Mermaid’, which he drew for his wife when they had their first baby. Under the calm blue lotus pond, the mermaid is giving birth. Fish appear as a witness. The warm painting done in bright hues depicts birth wiht a beautifully raw charm.
“But my friend, due to sheer laziness, I completed the painting when we had our second child,” he adds.