Colours of innocence
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M.S. Murthy, painter and muralist, has been working on child art for over a decade now
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PREOCCUPATIONS A distinctive feature in his paintings is the inclusion of rudiments of child art
M.S. Murthy's exhibition titled ...Till Today, which concluded recently in the city, was his eleventh one-man show. For someone who got involved with art by sheer chance, and whose journey into the creative field was often riddled with self-doubt, anxiety and disbelief, the 45-year-old painter-cum-muralist has certainly come a long way.
By his own confession, Murthy's works contain no serious message — religious, social or political.
"My paintings veer between the real and the unreal, between dream and reality — trying to communicate the abstract connections between human relationships, through non-figurative symbols or images," he says. "I have been influenced by folk art forms as much as native literature and music."
In one of his applauded solo exhibitions, Buddha — The Light (2001), Murthy presented a series of intriguing watercolours, portraying the enlightened one not in his physical form but as a metaphor of human sweetness and cordiality.
"Buddha, for me, is the tranquil moonlight incarnate." The exhibition went on to win the International Biennial Award from the Iran Academy of Arts.
In his recent works, Murthy continues to explore abstracted moods and emotions through fleeting snatches of colours. But one can discern a distinctive feature in his paintings that is the inclusion of rudiments of child art. In fact, Murthy has been researching on child art for more than a decade. Besides perusing thousands of paintings created by children belonging to different age groups and social classes, he has held detailed discussions with parents, educationists and scholars on the subject.
Murthy is currently finalising his thesis on child art based on his research. "It is a myth that artistic sensibilities of a child come from the genes," he says. "A child cumulates his or her experiences through sensory mediums like sight and sound. Internalising these experiences, emotions and feelings in its own creative way, he or she interprets these memories as images and yearns to find a creative outlet to communicate with the external world. "
To drive home the point, Murthy narrates an instance where a child painted his parents in contrasting forms. "While the mother was featured with love and in great detail, the father was portrayed casually, with thick stripes scribbled across his body. When we probed, we found out that the father continually harassed the child, often treating him with anger and contempt. The child was responding to this treatment and even protesting the acts of the father by portraying him as a violent animal-like character."
Murthy feels that a child's mind is like a clean sheet of paper. Adults have no right to infringe on this sacred space leave alone impose their ideas, experiences and understanding. It is his or her exclusive space, where the child has the right to develop a special visual vocabulary,"
asserts Murthy. According to him, both our education system and family mentoring are woefully unsupportive in fostering the child's creative ability.
"They cajole the child to sing "A for Apple" as if it is a great rhyming mantra, but fail to inspire the child to understand, appreciate and comprehend the physical contours of the fruit, its taste and its colours." Murthy is equally critical of ready-made art camps and art competitions for children.
"Isn't it appalling that these events make children compete with each other instead of sharing each other's remarkably exclusive perceptions?" he asks. "To add insult to injury, the works are judged by adults who have no clue about the child's unique experiences and expressions... Very often, I feel it is the parent and teacher groups that need mentoring, not the children!"
Murthy's reflections on child art form part of an anthology of general articles penned by him. These articles are being compiled as a book titled Desi Nagu, to be released soon by Abhinava Prakashana. Murthy, who lives and works at his studio, Bhoomi — The Centre for Artists, Bangalore, can be contacted on 98441 57982, email: msmcanvas@vsnl.net
ATHREYA
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Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
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Thiruvananthapuram
