KOCHI: Artist George John’s tryst with art began very late in life. He worked on fish skulls, bones, pine cones, shells, and handcrafted objects like winnows, small pots, basketry. Some of his works, made of wood, nearly vanished into oblivion, but were retained.
The artist who passed away in July 2016 continued working till his death, said his friends who has joined together to display his works through the exhibition being organised at the David Hall Art Gallery in Fort Kochi.
“The exhibition got delayed because we could not assemble all his works together. Some of them were lost,” said Radha, the curator of the exhibition and a dear friend of George’s.
According to her, George focused on trying to find a common ground where human beings can meet again. Most of the political and historical works validate this.
George was always fascinated with architecture. He also worked with Jai Gopal and tried to incorporate terracotta elements. ‘If you build a house you have to keep some kid of craft alive’ is what he often advocated.
George’s collection include 74 paintings but not all of them have been displayed. His friend Manilal Padavur has also dedicated a 20-minute film as a tribute to George which was screened on the day of inauguration of the event. The painting exhibition will conclude on May 28.