Coastal dateline
SAJINI V. SAHADEVAN
|
The paintings of Sunil Kumar G capture the vibrancy of life in Kovalam.
|
PHOTOS: S. MAHINSHA
A SEASIDE VILLAGE: Sunil Kumar G, right, goes beyond the sun, sand and surf.
Sunil Kumar G's sketches remind you of sceneries you might have painted as a child. The vast expanse of beaches, canoes, shores and of course the coconut trees - indispensable in a picture of Kerala. But there's more to this artist's pictures than sun, sand and surf. The paintings are teeming with activity.
Small strokes atop the boats lined up against the shore depict local fishermen out at sea, a reminder of their struggle for a livelihood. Mostly done using an isograph pen, Sunil has given the details their due credit.
Sunil Kumar was trained as a sculptor at the College of Fine Arts, Thiruvananthapuram, but he devotedly practised drawing, a love he has always cherished.
Daily life
A native of Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram, he has recorded on paper what he is accustomed to seeing every single day.
The pictures go beyond the boats to the wide strip of land, the foliage, mountains and sky. A dome of a mosque and a church suggests the faith of the local community. The artist has covered these pictures from two vantage points. Sketches of the Kovalam beach and the fishing harbour at Vizhinjam reveal his attraction to the topography of the land. He has experimented on relatively similar images in watercolour as well.
Portraits include that of his mother, frail yet gracefully aged, and that of his poet-friend Ayyappan. The often solid and bold outlines along with a riot of strokes used in the same picture convey the style of a caricature, but then there are the consistent lines that tell otherwise.
Straying from the usual style of portraying sensuously the image of women bathing, Sunil has captured the earthy mood of the scene as the stocky figures gather to wash away reminders of the toil of a hard day at work.
His subjects have not been chosen for dramatic portrayals. Yet, he seems to find the right subjects that are inspiring enough to transfer on to paper in all truthfulness without losing its signs of life.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
