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A piece of his mind

Sadanand's works tell myriad tales

PHOTO: S. GOPAKUMAR

WOMEN AND NATURE Sadanand with his works

A self-taught artist, Sadanand's paintings takes one by surprise. With imagery so intense and vibrant they tell myriad tales. His most eye-catching work has to be a portrait of the writer Sara Joseph who inaugurated the exhibition. The portrait draws inspiration from her short stories such as `Muditheyyam,' `Oru ezhuthukariyude ullilum' and `Oduvilathe sooryakanthi.'

The display consists of pictures in both mediums of oil and watercolour. "It is a medium that is hard to exercise but there is no end to the possibilities. It can be improved on over again. I find it more interesting," says Sadanand.

A woman empathiser, he responds strongly to the treatment of women in society through his paintings. "Being born a male, I am aware of the perks that are allowed to men. Women are not given the respect they deserve. They are nurturers who are essential to society as they are capable of bringing a new life into the world. I believe in giving women their own space and have tried to depict them in an objective manner. I also wanted to consciously paint the female nude without the element of sensuality. " he says. The women merge with the forces of nature in many of his paintings.

One of the paintings is based on short story writer C.S. Chandrika's `Pira' (Young Moon) .

On social issues

Sadanand has portrayed his perspective on social issues like the attack on the tribal folk of Muthanga, suppression of women and alienation of the aged through rich colours in oil. His `Wrestler and Ants' is symbolic of the domination of developed nations over smaller countries thus making them more vulnerable.

In `Man with Buddha's head' he conveys a history of hegemonic masculine culture in tandem with the invincibility of non-violence. `Horoscope' is another thought provoking picture where a mother and child are in the midst of nature. Many of the landscapes are in watercolour, borrowed from his impression of Wayanad and Fort Kochi. For Sadanand, each painting is a piece of his mind, the effort of much homework and thought.

SAJINI V. SAHADEVAN

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