Murals, depicting the historical and mythological stories, beautiful sculptures with attractive colours are an all time favourite for the art lovers and the common man, who usually view it in awe. Such is the power of attraction the murals have.
There are several mural art forms depending on the region and the culture, and one such painting that has a distinct feature of its own is the murals from Kerala. The artisans at Gandhi Shilp Bazaar, organised by JSS Urban Haat is one such point that have artisans from various states displaying the cultural heritage of their states.
The exhibition also gives a clear picture of Indian art and culture to its visitors through exposing the artisans of the country. Manuj Brahmapaad of Trivandrum, Kerala is one artisan, who has displayed murals with a touch of the God’s own country.
Speaking to City Herald, he said though there are several art forms existant, the Kerala murals stand apart from the others, with a distinct style. The paintings stress on lines which do not have sharp edges like murals of other states. Each painting is intricate and has curved lines which can be identified in the crown of the deity, or the other features.
Learning the art by self interest, Manuj says he developed a great interest towards painting and either has a formal training which is usually expected from an artist of his range, or has any artisans in his family tree.
Completing his education, he had his brief stint as a journalist in Kerala and later developed a passion towards the art and now has a studio of his own in Trivandrum.
He is proud to be an artist and has never regretted leaving the job. He says, he has a good client base and has sufficient income by supplying his murals to selective companies.
He has also the replicas of the paintings which is less expensive and sells like hot cakes, at all the exhibitions he has displayed them, in Delhi, Mumbai and other places.
Kerala, which is famous for its coir products, with a huge number of coconut groves, which is identified with the state, has also a stall that displays coconut shell that is turned into a product.
Carving is done on the whole coconut, which transforms into a monkey, a tortoise, a human form and others. Apart from this, the expo also has national and state awardees craftsmen presenting live demonstrations in art and craft including Kotadri sarees, Ikat sarees, tussar silk, Kantha, Banaras sarees and all kinds of jute products are on display and sale.