Celebrating murals

Mural paintings are an integral part of the artistic tradition of Kerala. In fact, some of the murals in the temples at Tirunandikkara (the present day Kanyakumari) and Tiruvanchikulam date back to 9th century AD. An exhibition- cum-sale of Kerala mural paintings is being held at Kairali, in celebration of this tradition. This event, which was recently inaugurated by Anita Nair, showcases three artists Murali B, Ramesh TB and Vinod Kumar N.

Walk into Kairali one of these days and hanging above the cash counter, you’ll find a huge mural that depicts motifs that have come to symbolise Kerala. The painting shows huge temple elephants, Theyyam, a Kathakali dancer, snake boats et al, all grouped together. Most other murals depict tales from the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Devipurana, Krishnaleela and other Hindu myths. The mural of Dhamayanthi with a peacock is interesting because in this one, she is depicted with a peacock as opposed to the swan.
The artwork is gloriously rich. The luxurious explosions of colours that characterise these paintings are created using just five colours, red, blue, green, yellow and black. These acrylic on canvas paintings are created by master craftsmen in incredibly short periods of time.

In fact, it apparently takes more time to have the paintings framed than it does to create them. Each artist takes a maximum of three days to paint one canvas. The speed at which these are created does not take reduce its aesthetic value one bit.

What does affect your impression of the art on display may be the conditions they are displayed in. It is a sad situation when one thinks about it. These talented artists do not have access to good galleries with good lighting. At Kairali, though their effort is commendable, the paints are stashed about the shop.

If you are an art enthusiast, then head to Kairali before June 7, where you can watch the artists work. You will be amazed as much by the art as by the artists. Their humility will win you over. Murali, who was trained at the  Guruvayur Institute of Mural Painting, was part of a group of artists who painted murals at the Ulsoor Sathynarayan Temple, where they used traditional vegetable dyes as opposed to acrylic paints now in vogue. The price of the paintings range between Rs 600 and Rs 20,000. Kairali is located near Ajantha Hotel on M G Road.