For Jolly M Sudhan and Madhu Madappally, the artist couple, the unreal is the Real McCoy. They believe there’s a whole new world waiting to be explored, experimented and discovered in the unreal.

An exhibition of the duo’s oeuvre was held at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat recently.  Painting is a passion for both Jolly and Madhu, both teachers at the Teachers in Kannur.

Jolly’s work revolved around ‘love’. Woman and love are the warp and woof of her works. The two, she says, are inseparable. Only a woman can love unconditionally. Woman depicts strength, love and energy.  She glorifies the woman in all her paintings. One of her works has a dog, child and a man looking up to a woman. “All living beings look up to the woman for strength. Only she can provide that care and warmth,” says Jolly.

Another painting had three women seated beside three different flowers. “A woman is like a flower. She needs to be cared for or else she will wilt and die,” explains Jolly.  Madhu Madappally’s work is inspired by the tsunami.

How the nature avenged the mankind through the tsunami. “It was a powerful force that threatened to destroy the very existence of man. Tsunami was the answer to man’s mindless destruction of nature, cutting of trees for instance,” says Madhu.

Madhu compares a tree to a man. “To me a tree resembles a man. Destroying trees would be equivalent to destroying man himself,” says Madhu.

His paintings illustrate the beauty of nature and its relation with man, the hopes and aspiration of the younger generation. His women, on the canvas, are grim and stiff. “They’re all in a race for something better and bigger each time. Here on the canvas I’ve chalked out a couple who barely have time to be together. They’re like the fish in the aquarium. There’s no space to move and there’s a vacuum in each of them that needs to be filled.

Another canvas shows trees chopped and more destruction lurking on the sides. It’s hard for the trees to get away from the axe,” explains Madhu.

His canvases portray nature in its various moods. The irrational and impervious brutality of man, lush green trees slowly fading, rivers mourning, grey or discoloured sky form an integral part of his work.  Jolly and Madhu have their own unique style. They’ve carved an identity for themselves through their work. While Jolly’s work has the woman as the central character, Madhu’s paintings provokes one to reconsider the mindless destruction of nature.

The couple have won several awards, the latest being Muthukulam, Kaladarpanarn and Kalarathna award in 2006.