Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
Nature detailed
|
Reality and surrealism join hands at a painting exhibition that celebrates life and its many hues.
|
YOU ARE almost tempted to try and pry open the old, rusty door. Only when you go closer do you realise it is a mixed media painting. Slices of life, captured in all their detail, are artist R. Rajkumar's forte. And, that is what is celebrated in his ongoing one-man show at the Kasthuri Sreenivasan Trust Culture Centre.
Adolf Hitler, normally seen in his military fatigues, is portrayed differently by the artist. Here, the dictator is seen with his eyes bloodshot, a honeybee sitting on his upper cheek. Ask Rajkumar what his frame of mind was while painting that canvas and he says: "The insect and the bloody eye are the punishment meted out by an artist to Hitler."
Village life comes alive in the painter's works. Be it the faded wooden doors guarding long-unoccupied homes or the local lily pond, all find a place in the exhibition space. There are eight doors in all, some with a rusted padlock and others with a dirty green paint and posters stuck on them. In one of the works, you can sight an old lady behind a door hollowed-out on the top.
Painting since the age of four, the artist went to the Kumbakonam College of Arts and Crafts to hone his technique. It shows in his works. The water colours of three old women, titled "Mother" impress. "They were live models. I prefer doing portraits. But, after my stint at college, I have started dabbling in surrealism," he states.
The 13-canvas series on a lily pond takes up a whole side of the wall. Each work captures the pond in different angles - blooming lilies and those in bud.
The play of light and shade in the works is amazing. The canvas with a mare and filly as subject and "Light Music" are examples of the fine use of lighting techniques.
How many times have we seen roads being laid while speeding by in our vehicles and not given a second thought to it? But, that sight seems to have captured Rajkumar's imagination. So, in "Labourers", you have a bus speeding by while workmen lay a tar road.
There is also the series on Buddha, each work executed in a different style. Cubism, cave paintings, knife sketch and a host of other techniques to lend beauty to the eight canvases on the Enlightened One. One of the works shows an aged Buddha, which is quite uncommon. "But, he would have been that old when he achieved enlightenment," he explains. These works used to hang in the artist's meditation room.
Priced reasonably, the works are a nice buy if you are planning to go in for real-looking paintings. How does he feel when a work of his is bought? "It's a mixed feeling. One does understand that selling paintings is vital if one has to continue working. But, the pain of separation is always there."
The show, which is on till July 27, also features some sculptures by Rajkumar.
SUBHA J RAO
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
|
