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Simple images, deep insights
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The woodcut prints of artist Murali Das depict the sensitive moments of life
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The works of Murali Das showcased at Gallery Alliance Francaise, Chennai are woodcut prints and wood sculpture. Woodcut as a medium of printing goes far into art history and brings to mind works of Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer who was considered the `Leonardo of the North'.
Murali's works are a journey through the sensitive moments of life. They may be as mundane as the leaves falling, buds blossoming or picking up a dead lizard by its tail. Through such instances, Murali negotiates time and space, which conflates and projects/creates those insightful split second acts that for him hold meaning, becoming `keepsakes from an inward journey'. Negotiating through the element of space, Murali visualises the now and here that are images of his perception which are ephemeral and will be replaced with others. A deep seated philosophy is made manifest through images such as `Septum' where a cord is held by fingers and time is made the chief protagonist, as one is left imagining that the cord will be pulled through leaving an empty space. The potency of this act is made manifest in those moments that exist between the process and the happening, which establishes the completion of abstract journey. It is the intervening moments that are crucial, and which Murali attempts to depict in his prints. This metaphorically translates as, `a completed work is the end of a search and the beginning of another for me'.
His imagery is naοve and simple, striking the viewer with its raw primitive line. The compositions may have a child-like innocence but are impregnated with meaning. Working around simple forms and images, Murali confidently conveys his philosophy of life. His sculptures in acacia wood are a translation of imagery from the prints into three dimensional forms.
ASHRAFI S. BHAGAT
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