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A spectrum of shades

Photos: M. Periasamy

Creative streaks The artists with their works

The long room of the Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art gallery awaits you with the artistic creations of the trio S. Arunagiri, V. Sambasivam and S. Jeeva. An assortment of around 40 paintings on different media — oil on canvas, pencil shading, pen sket ch and acrylic greet you when you walk in.

The vibrancy of the colours in Arunagiri’s paintings leaves one completely enthralled. It’s fascinating how someone can bring in such a wide spectrum of colours into something as mundane and everyday as kite-flying. “There is colour everywhere and my focus here is to bring South Indian traditions to the limelight and add colour to them” he says. Acrylic being his main medium of work, he highlights the importance of age-old activities such as bull fights, cock fights that were once part and parcel of South Indian culture.

V. Sambasivam’s works on the other hand transport you into a parallel universe – a world of ancient buildings and forgotten masterpieces. In a world of concrete monstrosities, this seems to be his sanctuary. Intricacy and perfection are synonymous with his pen and ink sketches. With the basic black and white combo he captures the refined but exquisite construction of these buildings.

Among them include the Government Museum at Chennai, the 100 year old Egmore Railway station and the Qutub Minar at New Delhi to name a few.

Sandwiched between culture and heritage is nature. A promise of a right mix is assured with Jeeva’s wildlife zooming around. The anger in the eyes of a roaring tiger, the fear of galloping horses, the joy of a lioness fondling her cubs, the pride of an elephant are beautifully captured. What stand out amongst this plethora of fauna are the sketches of musical stalwarts M.S. Subbulakshmi and Ustad Bismillah Khan. However, the sketch of the bald eagle is the artist’s own favourite. “The eye took two days for me to master. What becomes time consuming in such pictures is capturing the minutest details like shadows and reflections,” he says.

“The present scenario of modernization and technology has diminished opportunities for artists. Graphic designing, animation and modern art are the buzz words these days. Indians certainly have an affinity for anything that is foreign. What upcoming artists like us need is support and encouragement from our own people. After all, this is our livelihood,” points out Arunagiri.

Tradition, history and nature are packaged perfectly for an art lover at the 8th Kaleidoscope 2008.

One leaves with the distinctive style of each of these talented artists, etched in the mind. For a peek at the paintings, proceed to Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery.

The paintings are on display from July 2 to 6 from 9.30 am to 6.30 pm. For details, call: 0422-2574110.

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