KOCHI: When it takes years to master the art of mural paintings, yesteryear actor Menaka Suresh’s work depicting Lord Vishnu has a professional look to it. The theme revolved around the traditional Kerala temple motifs.A judicious use of green represented purity and knowledge, while the extensive use of golden yellow indicated a spur of activity.The Lord himself is depicted in blue.The painting was on display at the recent exhibition, ‘Cine Art Surprise’, which showcased the work of 108 Mollywood artistes at Komuson’s Art Gallery at Aluva, near Kochi.While Menaka’s paintings brimmed with vibrant colours, Anoop George, a young and upcoming actor, who appeared in the film ‘Crime Story’, was of a different kind.The frame in the shape of an inverted ‘L’ was amusing to see.“Shape and space influence objects,” he says.“The shape of the painting gives the feeling of largeness.I wanted to make my canvas look a little different.” If in one painting Anoop showed the house lizard moving freely, in the second, he showed it getting crushed by humans.Ask him how lizards inspired him, and he says, “It is the only creature whose eggs are seen while inside the womb." He has used a mix of brown and grey.Some of the paintings had a three-dimensional effect.“Instead of meanings, the paintings should evoke feelings,” says Anoop.Kottayam Nazeer, a name that every Malayali responds to with a smile on his lips, because of his mimicry skills, surprised all with his work.In one painting he captured the image of the cool and serene night sky.In another, Nazeer highlights the power of light over darkness.The painting shows a burning candle placed on the palm of a hand.The artist, in order to show the prominence of light in our lives, drew the mirror image of the flickering candle.The sketch of a lone woman, done by pen, was the highlight of Sindhu Lohithadas, wife of the late director Lohithadas.Sindhu says she is not much aware of the nuances of painting.“I just draw when I feel like it,” she says.“One night I felt alone and missed the presence of my close friend.This was how the sketch became a reality.” Talking about the aim of the exhibition, Sindhu says, “Many young people go astray and have alcohol and drugs.This is because they get lot of free time while in college.To avoid that, youth should be encouraged to take up hobbies like painting, singing, dancing and the like.” The paintings by the national award winning art director, J Sasi Kumar were also interesting, as he took his inspiration from tribal art.“Their minamilistic way of dressing, in contrast to heavy jewellery was what interested me to draw this theme,” says Sasi Kumar.To create a mood of tribals living in the wild, the artist has also drawn animals in the background.“The bodies of the tribals have a typical shape and structure,” says the artist.“Through this exhibition, I have become aware of new artists and their styles.It is indeed a platform for art education.” Dudu Unnikrishnan, another art director, has done wooden miniatures like a tabla, mridangam, and violin.When you look at it from a distance, you get the impression it is an actual musical instrument.“Observing the wood pieces from a distance makes them all the more beautiful.It is because the chipping and painting which gives a 3D effect,” says Dudu.There were also paintings done by actor Sheela, director Shajiyem, art directors Manu Jagadh of ‘Kerala Cafe’ fame, Nathan Mannoor, Vinod Lal and many others.
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