Kerala   

Art on aluminium sheets

— Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup

New medium: K. Byjanandan with his aluminium sheet art on display at the Academy Art Gallery in Kozhikode.

The 20-odd drawings on aluminium sheets by K. Byjanandan, on display at the Academy Art Gallery here, are experimental in terms of their medium and method. The images are etched on thin sheets of aluminium with blunted nails and other tiny tools. Initially, the figures are drawn with a pencil. The artist then uses blunt nails along the pencil-lines to give outward projection to the images. In the final stage, ‘anti-rust’ paint and ‘print ink’ are us ed in different shades lending elegance to the image.

Byjanandan, who is a Naik in the 6th Guard of the Indian Army and based in Punjab, says he learnt this distinct form of art from one his colleagues in the Army. After collecting the details about the work, he gave it a try at the military barrack. “But a soldier on duty hardly gets time for drawing or painting, as you know,” he says.

The artist-soldier finished all the 26 works displayed here during a two-month annual vacation at his home at Talakkolathur, near here. “This is for the first time that I have made a serious effort working on this medium.”

The 33-year-old soldier, who has proven his skills in other mediums such as oil and pencil drawing, feels any image can be depicted on aluminium sheets. “Anybody with a basic sense of drawing can follow this style,” he says adding that he only intended to introduce the technique to artists here through his exhibition. “The techniques are very simple and they look magnificent,” he says.

The shades of gold and silver nuanced by the clever use of ‘anti-rust’ paint on the aluminium surface give his works an amazing elegance. Most of them are images of Gods such as ‘Ganesh’ and ‘Krishna’. He has also rendered some images of birds and animals on the sheets. He says the works can last for many years as the sheets are resistant to tarnishing by air. “I hope our artists will make use of the immense possibilities the new medium offers,” says Byjanandan. The exhibition will end on Tuesday.

Jabir Mushthari

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