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Colours of reality

IN HIGH SPIRITS One of the pictures by M R.Baiju on display at the exhibition PHOTO: S. MAHINSHA

An exhibition called ‘Face to Face’ at the Russian Cultural Centre was a treat for art lovers in the city. Kochi-based twin brothers M.R. Baiju and M.R. Biju displayed 36 paintings that dealt with different social issues in two very di fferent styles.

The work ‘Dining table’ by Baiju depicts a family engrossed in watching TV while having their meal. The food as well as other members of the family do not figure in the world of each individual even in that time of togetherness. Many of the works deal with socially relevant themes. Stark realities of life and the subjects that confront them are effectively blended in most of the paintings, with the artist deliberately neglecting the background.

Baiju’s paintings addresses the issue of extreme restraints that society forces upon women. But the artist, rather than waxing on the theme of women’s sufferings, which he says “has been ineffectively dealt with a thousand times by many others,” dreams about an imaginary future when all such inequalities and discrimination would vanish.

In many of his paintings we can see women flying. The painting ‘Girl and Rebirth’ reveals the seeds of radical feminism in the form of two women finding companionship in each other. The motif of a bird in flight has been repeated in the paintings that centre on women. The artist seems to have used the motif to convey the idea of liberty. The artists’ painting on Mahatma Gandhi portrays him holding the people of India close to his heart.

Biju’s works on the other hand are mostly figurative. The shades he uses in his paintings verge on the brink of surrealism, despite the images being closer to reality. Unlike his brother, who questions the intellect, Biju gives more importance to the subtle emotions an artist can evoke in the mind of the viewer. He deals with daily life situations and weaves charm around them to make them unique and striking.

His work ‘Elephant’ is an unusual image, beautifully depicting the many dimensions of the animal in the forest. The painting ‘Nerchakkozhi’ is a feast for the eyes with its fighting red cocks, undetailed and with only the colour red depicting the shape of the cocks. The whole image is intentionally blurred, suggesting a sense of speed and action. ‘Refugee’ is etched against a blue backdrop where a couple of refugees, faceless and lifeless, stand frozen in a strange land.

Even the colours they use tell us a lot about the different worlds the twins live in the world of art. While Baiju prefers bright yellow to capture the eyes of the viewer Biju finds the immense possibilities of deep blue and red in his works.

“We haven’t got much training in this field,” says Biju. These self-taught artists actually work for a living as cable TV operators. “It was our parents who inspired us to paint,” sums up Biju.

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