PERUMBAVOOR: Contrary to the traditional concept of linking murals to the temple environment, P P Rajendran, a young artist from Valayanchirangara, near Perumbavoor, has succeeded in popularising the art by working on murals on earthen pots, coconut shells and stone pots.
Rajendran has become one of the pioneers in taking the mural art out of the temple walls to other religions. His murals on Muslim nikah based on the Mughal style and Christ's Last Supper were wellappreciated by a large section of society.
In another revolutionary attempt, Rajendran has proved that murals can be used to enhance the beauty of houses, hotel lounges, royal mansions and establishments. His experiments on nonconventional surfaces using nontraditional colouring materials for murals became a success and he opened a new branch in Kerala mural arts. "There is a lot of scope for muralists. The art form should not be restricted to the temple walls of any particular religion," says Rajendran.
''Painting on stone vessels is a difficult task owing to the smoothness of the stone base, whereas painting murals on earthen vessels is easy as the surface is comparatively rough,'' he says.
His mural 'Anantha Sayanam' at the centuryold Vaikom Sree Mahadeva temple earned him a covetable award from the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi. He has also received several awards like the Kerala Cartoon Academy Award, the Teachers Kalavedi State Award and the Kaladarpanam Yuvakalaratnam