Drawing inspiration
BHAWANI CHEERATH
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Saju Thuruthil creates his own idiom in painting murals.
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QUEST FOR EVOLUTION: One of Saju's works from the `Kiliyum Njanum' series.
"It's time we found our strengths," says mural artist Saju Thuruthil, recipient of the State Lalitkala Akademi's award this year. Trained under the master Mammiyoor Krishnankutty Nair, one is tempted to ask if this quest would mean an evolution in the artistic expression and the possible moving away from mural art.
Artistic developments
Walking you down the stages of his artistic development, Thuruthil tells you that a decade ago, the `Kiliyum Njanum' series marked the beginning of his journey into a new representation rooted in the mural techniques but moving into new themes.
`Chhayamukhi' earned him the award and between these two works, one can detect the artist drawing his inspiration both from the style he is trained in, the cumulative experiences from the past and the telescoped memories he carries with him.
The intervening period has witnessed his relying on brisk strokes in charcoal for `Bird with Lady,' a shift from the traditional.
The transition calls for some explaining, and the artist tells you that mural art has always been rooted in the myths and legends of the religious tradition. While reiterating the need to retain the inherent power of a hoary palette expression, he feels, to move ahead and translate his personal vision though the idiom becomes a growing need.
How would he describe `Chhayamukhi'? The costume changes and the typical appearance of women in a locality have been depicted. "The change is in the physical form, the background and total effect one gets is that of style of clothing which was seen decades ago," says Saju. In the extensive use of violet and yellow he has moved away from the regular hues normally employed in murals. Very often one gets the impression that dormant images from his memory find a place in his painting.
Lending his own touch to the murals, the Yakshi series, according to the artist, was yet another example of his imbuing the form with a fresh mood. The enticing Yakshi is often associated with the bibhatsa and the bhikara, but in each one of the 27 frames, he has depicted her as the madhurarupini. The enchantress takes on a more positive representation here.
Restoration work
While he pursues his search for articulating his ideas, Saju continues to be associated with restoration of murals in the State. It was during the restoration of the Pazhoor Temple that he was able to identify two inner layers of murals done between the thirteenth and sixteenth century.
Relying on the use of traditional method and colour, he was associated with reviving the old glory of the murals at the Ettumanoor temple, the Padmanabhaswamy Temple and the Srivilliputhur Temple. The restoration exercise at Padmanabhaswamy Temple was the maiden exercise carried out by Mammiyoor Krishnankutty Nair with his first batch of students, of which Saju was a member.
As an artist who began with `Verukal,' Saju Thuruthil now works on themes close to his heart while at the same time relying on the centuries-old mural tradition.
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