Death of Gandhi: The painting captures the nation’s horror and pain

India without Mahatma Gandhi cannot be imagined but there are forces at work attempting to do just that. And even as controversy over the removal of the photographs of the death of Gandhiji from Gandhi Smriti broke out just before Martyr’s Day, a painting, depicting the last gory moments of Gandhiji, evoked painful memories. The painting that shows Gandhiji surrounded by shocked and shattered mourners was shared widely on social media, tweeted by the likes of Rahul Gandhi and Kanhaiya Kumar. However, many of them, including Rahul Gandhi, shared the image without attributing it to the artist.

Art, Features

By Elizabeth Thomas

January 27, 2020

The fascinating lives of Kerala’s fishers in watercolour

Post the 2018 floods, Keralites see fishermen as superheroes without a cape. When the floods unpredictably hit the state, they didn’t hesitate to pull out their boats and rush to save lives. However, not many are aware of their hard lives. British artist Susan Beaulah’s paintings give a detailed account of their fast-changing lives. Her works emphasise on the marine phenomenon, Chakara, wherein fish converge in abundance in organically formed mudbanks. She is perhaps the first artist to paint Kerala’s fishers and Chakara exclusively.

Having spent around a decade observing the fisherfolk in the coastal areas of Kerala, she knows a thing or two about them. She has captured their lives, mostly on the spot, on her canvas. The idea of painting fisherfolk hit Beaulah in 1990 during a residency in Kerala following her first painting trip to Rajasthan. “My idea was to paint women working in the fields, but then I saw a boat on the beach and was immediately captivated by its shape and elegance of line. It awoke in me a feeling of ancient times and of the Vikings invading the east coast of England over a 1000 years ago, using boats of remarkably similar design to those I was watching on this modern-day Kerala coast,” recalls Beaulah.

The vivid colours of lungis against the neutral colour of sand and the harmony of people working on the beaches and in the fields, at one with the landscape, caught her attention. “In the UK, figures in the landscape are of no interest to me as they appear to just pass through, detached and without that meaningful connection. I believe that a simple life, imbued with a sense of belonging is more real, has more integrity and is more beautiful to look at than a more commercially developed world.”

Art, Features

By Elizabeth Thomas

December 31, 2019

Foot-artist Jilumol dreams of driving a car some day

The gallery at Ente Bhoomi, Valanjambalam, Kochi, is adorned with paintings, big and small, by Jilumol Mariet Thomas. A native of Thodupuzha, this is her maiden exhibition. What makes her works unique is the method of painting them. She has painted them all with her feet.

Jilu, who was born without hands, says that painting has been her interest since childhood. “I would participate in school competitions and win prizes. Those victories inspired me to take this passion forward,” says Jilu, a graduate in Animation and Graphic Designing. She currently works as a graphic designer in a private firm in Kochi.

Art, Features

By Elizabeth Thomas

November 21, 2019

Kondotty Sufi Fest: A Mystical Journey

The chirping of the birds in Kondotty had a sufi cadence that day, perhaps it was a sign of the soulful music we were to experience by artists Shabnam Virmani, Sumangala Damodaran and Ehsan Ali on the first day of the IQRA: Kondotty Sufi Fest.

Kondotty, in Malappuram district, has a rich heritage of mappilla pattu and sufism. The history of Kondotty is enmeshed with the lives of the Kondotty Thangals, the 18^th century Sufi exponents.

The two-day festival spread across Kondotty and its surroundings was a celebration of the rich culture of the region. Artist Riyas Komu, the curator of the festival, said, “Kondotty is a fascinating site as there were arrivals through the sea and across the land by Portuguese and Middle-Eastern merchants. The trade route was the integral link for the flourishing of local economy, arts and culture.”

Art, Culture, Features, Society

By Geetha Jayaraman

November 15, 2019

500 years on, Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings continue to bewilder and amuse

If only Leonardo da Vinci had the habit of signing his paintings, the world would have been less vexed. As the biggest retrospective of his works which opened in the Louvre, Paris, to mark the 500^th birthday of Leonardo last month (on till March next year, so hurry up), there is continuing debate about the veracity of some of his paintings. The Louvre retrospective is the largest collection of the Italian maestro’s works which showcases 160 of his works—paintings, sketches, notes.

Leonardo died on May 2, 1519 at the age of 67 in a house provided by King Francis I. He was the court painter at the King’s palace. Among the things found in his room, after his death, was the rolled up Mona Lisa (portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Florentine trader, Francesco del Giocondo), on which, he is said, to have worked on for several years. He had worked on it for 4 years in Milan but did not deliver it to the man who commissioned it. Instead, he carried it with him to France. The slowness with which Leonardo worked was proverbial and he further added layers, shades and more meanings.

Leonardo made matters more difficult by always writing in mirror image and that too from, right to left. Although solving that isn’t much of a problem, but since he located himself in the hazy space between science and art, he neither afforded us an easy analysis of his works, nor left us any clues as to what he was searching for. What was he journeying for? Painting for him was a distraction from his larger obsession with irrigation projects, the meaning of the universe itself, the movement, motion of water (of which he left many sketches), his botanical drawings and the human anatomy on which he spent many hours dissecting bodies and then sketching the tendons, nerves and muscles and also such notions that a circle is made up of smaller squares.

Art, Beauty, Features

By Binoo K John

November 13, 2019

Remembering the great Mexican painter Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo, the doyen of the Mexican painters of the last century was one of the early feminists and a firebrand communist who took part in people’s movements despite bad health. Though Kahlo died in 1954 her reputation continues to grow. Her life was wracked with terrible ill health and she died aged just 47. Even in her lifetime she was considered one of the Mexico’s greatest artists.

Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907 in Coyocoan, a village now part of Mexico City. Today because of the influence of its favourite daughter it has become a cultural hub. It houses the bright-blue Frida Kahlo Museum, showcasing her life and work, as well as the National Museum of Popular Culture and Folk Art. There are science museums, theatres and the Azteca Stadium which hosts international football games.

Kahlo grew up in the family home later known as Casa Azul (the Blue House). Her father, a photographer of German origin, had come to Mexico where he met and married Matilde, half American-Indian and half Spanish. Kahlo was just six when she contracted polio. She was bedridden for nine months and her right leg and foot withered. She would limp for the rest of her life and always wore long skirts.

Art, Features

By Peter Frost

October 4, 2019

Kochi Muziris Biennale: Harbinger of an Egalitarian Future

The last edition of the Kochi Muziris Biennale (KMB) was fraught with an existential crisis, when an accusation of sexual harassment was raised against Riyas Komu, one of the founders of the biennale. The charges were not officially brought out, but posted on an anonymous Instagram handle. Komu rightly and immediately stepped down from all the managerial positions of the KMB. The demons of sexual harassment charges have now been laid to rest.

In a development unrelated to the Biennale, Subodh Gupta, the superstar of Indian contemporary art field, also called the ‘Damien Hirst of Delhi’, has initiated defamation proceedings this week against the same Instagram handle that had brought out sexual harassment charges against him (along with Komu).

Despite the presence of Guerrilla Girls, a feminist art collective that fights gender inequality in the art world, and a feminist curator in Anita Dubey, the Kochi Muziris Biennale in its last edition failed to invoke the erstwhile matrilineal spirit of the locale, or succeed in exposing the rotten patriarchal power culture at the centre of the contemporary art world. During the showpiece presentation by Guerilla Girls, a noted art critic and writer from Goa boldly stood up and spoke on the gender hierarchy and power relationships prevalent in the biennale and received support of the audience, most of whom stood with her.

Art, Culture, Features, Gender, Kerala, People, Society

By Umar N

May 17, 2019

The Subversion of Caste and Gender inherent in Theyyam

Myths and variant beliefs are important threads that have bound the fabric of Indian culture. Even though our country has stepped into the modern era, certain beliefs and art forms still persist with its singleness.

Of all Indian states, Kerala has a unique way of exhibiting its myths and heroes through classical and folk arts—Malabar bearing the crown of folk tradition. As we dive deep into this world of colors, the grandeur of Theyyam embraces us in all its glory. Rather than being a folk art, Theyyam can be seen as a blend of divinity, belief and sadhana of the human mind. The artist’s body that evokes the deity is placed on a higher pedestal irrespective of his position in the caste hierarchy. When artists adorn the magnificence of this art, they are elevated to a divine status despite their so-called ‘devalued’ stratum in society.

Art, Culture, Features, People, Society

By Aiswarya Madhu and Sreedevi R

September 24, 2017

Youth’s apathy leaves Kuthampully’s handloom industry on the brink of closure

For each Malayalee, a traditional Kerala festival, may it be Onam, Vishu, temple festival or one’s own birthday, is incomplete without the traditional Kerala dhothis and sarees. Kuthampully, a village on the banks of Bharathappuzha is famous for its own hand-loomed Kerala style clothing. Around 600 families here in this village are engaged in the making of ‘kasavu’ sarees, veshti, dhoti and ‘settu mundu’ which are highly accepted not even in Kerala, but around the world and across the cultures.

Though the natives are proud of their products and the acceptance they receive across the borders, the handloom industry here is on the verge of closure owing to lack of interest among the new generation to stick to their traditional business and to get settled in the village itself. Besides, the Government’s financial policies and ignorance of the craftsmen also make them put an end to this age-old employment.

“It is said that our ancestors came from Mysore to weave clothing for the king of Kochi centuries ago. They got settled here and made this village their home. Eventually, they started to sell them to the public who are interested. Thus, our products became quite famous among the local people and the outsiders,” says Saravanan (name has been changed to protect identity). The village is situated at Thiruvilwamala panchayat of Thrissur district.

Art, Culture, Economy, Life, People

By Greeshma Neelakandan

August 30, 2017

Architecture students work wonders on 15-cent land

To those who always lament about the new generation students’ lack of interest in public affairs, here is a team of vibrant young students who have turned a 15-cent abandoned space in the heart of Kollam town into a peaceful evening hangout spot. The third year architecture students of Bishop Jerome School of Architecture in Kollam took a 15-cent land at Asramam under lease and made an attractive hangout space there using common waste and easily-available materials such as bamboo, used sacks, mud, coconut husk and shells.

The student team took up the project as part of a national competition being conducted by the National Association of Students of Architecture (NASA). As per the guidelines NASA provided, the students have to find a live place in the town and recreate it using waste materials. Asramam ground is a famous public ground in Kollam and the recreated area is a part of it.

“The spot is at one corner of the ground and has been abandoned by the natives. The whole area was bushy and messy when we began cleaning work as part of the project. It took us almost one month to finally get the area ready for the modification work,” said Diya Sosa Cheriyan, one of the leading participants in the team.

Architecture, Art, Beauty, Life, People

By Greeshma Neelakandan

August 20, 2017

Folklore enthusiasts put their heart and soul into Palakkad’s own historical ‘Poraattu Kali’

As the world is gearing up to celebrate the year’s Folklore Day on August 22, a group of folklore enthusiasts in Palakkad is ecstatic over the district’s own folklore art form, ‘Poraattu Kali’. As part of the three-day Folklore Day celebrations conducted by ‘Kalikkoottam’, a folklore enthusiasts’ group based in Shekhareepuram, Palakkad, a demonstration of ‘Poraattu Kali’ was performed by Mannur Chandran, Manikandan and Biju.

Mannur Chandran, a noted ‘Poraattu Kali’ exponent from the district, has travelled to almost all States in India to perform the art form. The energetic, 65-year-old artist, becomes eloquent when he starts speaking about his art. “The art form originated in Palakkad among the ‘Paanan’ community some 400 years ago. A couple from the community went to the forest for collecting bamboo. That time, the wild animals came to attack them. They made a fire circle and started singing and dancing inside it. Listening to this, the goddess came and rescued them. This is the myth behind the origin of this art form,” he says.

The art form in which the performer moves in a particular fashion back and forth in accordance with the song, incorporates drums (chenda) and ‘ilathaalam’, a miniature version of cymbals. The traditional songs are in native Palakkad slang. Most of the songs are like conversation between two characters. Newer songs are being added to the ‘Poraattu Kali’. The art form has close resemblance to ‘Therukkoothu’, a Tamil folklore art form.

Art, Culture, People, Religion

By Greeshma Neelakandan