He sketches different emotions with his pen and pencil. M. Jayaraman uses art to reflect the facial expressions that he witness every day.
His drawings take predominantly ochre, red and blue acrylic colours.
‘Kirukkal Koodugal’, a solo painting exhibition of Jayaraman, showcases many pen drawings of the artist at Promenade Hotel in Puducherry.
Having worked as a commercial artist painting sign boards till 2010, Jayaraman’s transition into a creative artist took shape with the help of his mentor Ibert, founder of Pondicherry State Artists Association.
The art work of Jayaraman stands out as he sketches all the countenance with unusually long noses. One can see all the male portraits in his entire oeuvre sporting remarkably big moustaches.
“In Madurai, moustache is identified with masculinity. People in Madurai believe that a male should sport a moustache. Though I am from Puducherry, I am inspired by the importance they attach to different facial features and expressions. Hence you can see that is reflected in all my paintings,” says Jayaraman.
This is the seventh exhibition the artist is hosting in the city.
Earlier, he has exhibited his works at different places in Puducherry including Maison Perumal and Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education.
Even a person who is not a connoisseur would appreciate the artist’s choice of colours and lines that provide the right expression on face in his paintings.
Jayaraman conducts drawing classes and does commercial artwork for survival.
His mentor Ibert says: “It is the different expressions that Jayaraman brings out through his paintings that make him stand apart from others. His consistent hard work has fructified his transition from a commercial artist to a creative painter.”