“These,” says Rajkumar, “are people I've observed during
the course of my life in Pollachi”. That he's observed them at length
shines through in every single work. The wrinkles, crinkle of the eyes,
half a smile and the fold of the garment is so life-like, you almost
reach out to touch them.
In the festival series, the
artist uses his craft to preserve for posterity traditional festivals
celebrated in the rural heartland, full of pomp, splendour and rustic
charm. “They've become so few, and far between. At this rate, the future
generations might not even know about these celebrations. I wanted to
capture them before they disappeared,” says Rajkumar, who specialises in
profiling people and events on watercolours, a medium normally used to
portray landscapes.
He's a master with light and
shade too — the proof lies in his ‘Veyil' series. The works displayed at
the show provide a sneak peek into the Dutch area in Fort Kochi. Do
notice the broken lamp that dangles from a post; the cycles carelessly
leaning against the wall; and the goats bathed in sunlight walking
through a narrow lane.
Among Rajkumar's favourite
works is the one featuring a family of four on a TVS 50. Amid swirls of
exhaust fumes, you see a sense of purpose in the parents' face. The
younger child rests her cheek on her sister's arms, looking yearningly
at something — an ode to small-town India.
The works, priced between Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 70,000, are on display at the Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery, Avanashi Road.
