THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When the timing of the exhibition was fixed, the proximity to Vinayaka Chaturthi could not be ignored. Naturally, the murals became a dedication to Lord Ganesha. The 16 women artists, under the guidance of their guru Prince Thonnakkal, painted three murals each depicting one or other form of Ganesha. Coupled with a large painting done by Prince, the group exhibition inaugurated at Museum Auditorium on Tuesday can well be called a mini cataloguing of the many facets of Ganapathi. ‘’Most of us are living in various parts of Thiruvanathapuram and are regular visitors to Pazhavangadi Ganapathi temple. So, when it was decided that the murals will all be done based on the concept of Lord Ganesha, it gave us a great deal of inspiration and enthusiasm,” says artist Usha Rajan. The forms of Ganapthi depicted in the paintings include Heramaba Ganesha, Simha Ganesha, who is visualised as white in colour, Vijaya Ganapathi and so on. “The form of ‘Drishti Ganapathi’ has been painted by each of the artists, besides attempting a form based on a ‘dhyana sloka’ and a mythological story. All the slokas and stories have been sourced from Ganesha Purana,” says Prince. A name to reckon with in the art of mural painting, Prince has held exhibitions all over the State and has earned a large fraternity of disciples. Malathy Lakshman and Mythili Ganesh, who have exhibited their paintings here, have both been learning mural under the tutelage of Prince for over five years. Settled in Chennai, they rely on the drawings sent by Prince by post to hone their skills. “Despite not being able to attend classes, they have shown remarkable ability to capture the nuances of the art,” says Prince. He also mentions the attention to detail in the works of Devika Kumar, Leena Raju, Viji Murugan, Mini Mohan and others. “The shading and colour scheme followed by these artists are also commendable,’’ he says and vouches for the works done by Santha Gopinatha Pillai, Ramani Arunachalam, Sheela Sreekumar, Suma Sankar, Kasturi Teggi, Meena Kumari and Vasantha Nair. Academician and historian M G Sasibhooshan, who attended the inaugural function, appreciated the amount of thought and research that has gone into the paintings. “Forms like ‘Vainayaki’ or ‘Vighneswari’ are little known among the public, though the concept is a major contribution of Kerala to the iconography of Ganesha,’’ he said. The concept of Lord Ganesh dressed as a woman is mentioned in the 16th century Sanskrit text ‘Silparatnam’, authored by Sreekumaran, believed to have lived in Ambalapuzha. “The most famous idol of Vainayaki, originally made in Kerala, now rests in the Stadel Art Museum in Germany. The form can also be seen in the temples of Suchindram, Cheriyanad, near Mavelikkara, Vadakara, and Thuravoor,” Sasibhooshan said. Pooyam Thirunal Gowri Parvathy Bayi inaugurated the exhibition and actor-director Madhupal performed the ‘nethrolmeelanam.’ The event will conclude on September 4.
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