Kerala   

A walk through the woods

Glancing through K.R. Bhaskaran’s oils and acrylics on show at the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery, Kozhikode, is literally a walk through the woods — verdant, green and alive.

The artist paints with his brush dark hued imageries that at once merge with the lighter green background, with sprinkling of whites, yellows and pinks providing relief to create beautiful canvases.

Bhaskaran seems to be in love with trees, and nature’s colour — green in its manifold variations. All the 15-odd paintings on view at the gallery till February 28, feature trees, in a magnificent spread. The giant girth of the peepul as seen in Wayanad or the sturdy height of the Palmyra of the Palakkad countryside add to the variety of the canvases.

“Having been a ticket travelling inspector I had the opportunity to travel widely. Many of the paintings are what got etched in my mind’s eye,” says Bhaskaran, who has put in 35 years of service with the Indian Railways.

He retired 15 years ago after which he delved into a vocation close to his heart. Reading books on art gave him a sense of direction of how he should go about the endeavour.

At times the lack of formal training in art surfaces in the frames but not to any perceptible limit. And despite being 76, the freshness in the palette is commendable.

Many of the frames on show have the wooded greenery of the Wayanad hills interspersed with water falls and lakes that abound the mountainous terrain.

The artist says he captured the images in the light of the morning sun that provide a rare glow to the scene, and a deep sense of tranquillity to the viewer.

Maleeha Raghaviah

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