KOCHI: Mural paintings can literally turn back time, transporting us back to the era of a rich, mythological past. But would you associate animals, and, more so, their reproductive organs with mural art? “Of course, yes,” says mural artist Nanditha Babu. “I once drew five-quarters of the udder of a cow. My mother was appalled and told me a cow only has four quarters!”
Nanditha isn’t someone who takes her art lightly. And that is reason enough for her to plan a 100 sq. ft. work of ‘Ananthasayanam’ (the sleeping pose of Lord Vishnu).
“There has been a deluge of requests for the ‘Ananthashayanam’ in mural art after the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple came into the limelight. It is amusing how most of these requests are from outside
the country. I have completed over 15 of them already, and that’s when the idea of doing a 100 sq. ft. painting came up,” she says.
Nanditha is doing this project, consisting of 64 characters, with Rejeev Ayyampuzha, the renowned mural artist, who has been her guru and guide.
Early passion
The artist’s tryst with mural paintings began, following a B.Com degree and a possible bank job. “The murals had always caught my fancy. Even when I was a child, I remember being awed by the temple drawings,” says Nanditha, who grew up in Thuravoor. To learn the art, she travelled to temples across Kerala, learning the structure and style, the mood and rhythm of the drawings.
“Mural art has a constitution of its own; its style has been defined ages ago and the rules have to be adhered to. For example, one might think that all the faces in a painting look alike, but it’s not so. Each face is unique and varies from person to person, with regard to anatomy, body language and context. The lines have to be rhythmic, not sharp at all,” says Nanditha.
As a traditional artist, Nanditha feels disappointed that there are a lot of people for whom mural paintings are all about copying from the Internet. “By mere imitation, one doesn’t become a mural artist. There are umpteen things to learn, and my request to people who copy other works, is to not disrespect the art,” she says.
Among her works, the ‘Mrinmayam’ stands out for its theme, which is to bring all the art forms of Kerala together on one canvas. In future, she plans to translate the Carnatic ragas to canvas. “I am doing research on music, focusing on the changes it brings in people as well as nature,” says the artist.