Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Photo: S. Mahinsha

The Kerala connectionMary Beth Heston draws inspiration from the heritage and culture of Kerala

It was the murals in Mattancherry Palace, Kochi that drew Mary Beth Heston to Kerala and its treasure trove of art and culture. But once the art historian reached Kerala, she embarked on a journey that took her from paintings to sculpture and architecture. Tracing the common lines of culture, heritage and art brought Mary to Srikrishnapuram Palace in Kayamakulam and to Padmanabhapuram Palace in Nagercoil.

She was completely enchanted by the paintings on the wall and the stories they narrated. Stories that transported her to a world of art that was coloured by mythology and local traditions.

“It was a new cultural idiom that was fascinating. By the time I had finished my work on murals, I was absorbed in the bronze sculptures of Kerala. Then it became a project on the palaces in erstwhile Travancore and Kochi. I was struck by the grandeur and elegance of Padmanabhapuram Palace and that made me begin a study on the palaces in Kochi and erstwhile Travancore that were built between the 16th and 20th century. The book is likely to be released in 2008,” says Mary, chair, associate professor and coordinator of Asian Studies, College of Charleston in South Carolina.

She discovered that although there were similarities between the kingdoms of erstwhile Kochi and Travancore, there were several differences too that were manifested in the architecture of the palaces and public buildings.

“For instance, the grandeur of the Padmanabhapuram Palace is strikingly different from other palaces in Kerala. The palaces were physical manifestations of the notions of kinship, authority and power and they symbolised what the rulers wanted to convey to their subjects. While the architecture was eminently suited to the climate and topography of the regions, it also conformed to the prevailing tradition and culture of those times,” says Mary.

While working on her project on the palaces in Travancore, Mary says she was attracted by the role of architecture in transforming Thiruvananthapuram, especially during the reign of Ayiliam Tirunal.

“In fact, that project will be completed in a few weeks’ time. I am focussing on the Secretariat and Museum to point out how these buildings defined the space and purpose for which they were built. While the Secretariat followed a new-colonial style, the Museum was built differently but they also incorporated the indigenous style of Kerala.”

In her enthusiasm to learn more about these public buildings vis a vis the history of Kerala, Mary even started learning Malayalam when it was offered as a subject by a university in the United States.

An art historian, Mary was searching for a topic for her project when her guide suggested she do it on the murals in Kerala, a new line of study that was still in its nascent state in the United States.

“Actually, it was my guide S.L. Huntigton who suggested that I do my thesis on the murals as it was then a new area of study in the United States,” recalls Mary who has been a frequent visitor to Kerala over the past two decades.

Mary’s journey through the history of Kerala does not stop with the book on palaces. She plans to study the revival of Vastu and the way traditional designs are making a comeback in architecture despite the overwhelming presence of “concrete blocks” that passes off as residential places.

The art historian’s tryst with Kerala, which began with the murals of Mattancherry, has come a long way. She plans to go back to the Mattancherry murals to learn about the drawings that narrate the story of the Ramayana. To understand the multi-disciplinary approach of art and performing arts of Kerala, Mary even watched the Ramayana festival conducted by Soorya.

“The connection between art and performing art is very clear in Kerala. In fact, it was the bronze sculptures that highlighted the fact. The idea of beauty is culture specific and if you look at the representation of female and male figures, you will find that the physical training and posture of most performers conform to that physique,” explains Mary.

Mary’s enchantment with Kerala seems to be never ending. She continues to draw inspiration from the heritage and culture of Kerala.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

---

---