When his father denied him a bicycle, the then seven-year-old Murali Krishna sculpted himself one out of newspaper, plastic and all the household waste on which he could lay his hands. “It didn’t function like a bicycle although it certainly looked like one, which was ample for the child in me,” Krishna recalls, laughing. “The now 29-year-old Krishna is an artist, designer and teacher. His figurative stylings in art are inspired by real objects, in his case faces and portraits. It is often said to be in stark contrast to abstract art.
His paintings are a riot of colours…a brown Gal Gadot that has bright streaks of sea green, fuchsia pink, red and yellow; a multicoloured John Bryne with piercing blue eyes. His work has an uncanny ability to capture human emotions and he says it is because of the way he paints. “When it is painting, I let my intuition take over; it’s all about letting it free. It has a mind of its own and I’m always surprised at the end result,” he says. Characterised by darker, brooding background hues and bright pops of colour on the subjects, he is one of the handful of visual artists who paint in this style. “I haven’t met anyone in India so far who does this style and there are very few who actually practice it. This too, like the bicycle was an accident,” he laughs.
Krishna has dabbled with quite a few forms of creative expression, all of which give him perspective, he says. “I did some theatre in college, was always into music, I also write and do yoga. It helps me think and that brings in a lot of depth and significance to the art itself,” he says. His paintings have been featured in various publications, online museums and exhibitions throughout the world.
He has been an artist for about a decade-and-a-half and has been teaching officially and as a mentor for about five years. His figurative paintings proved very popular among his students, which led him to host a one-of-a-kind art show that celebrates extraordinary works ‘by ordinary folk’. “They’re lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers and homemakers with one thing in common: They’re new to the art world. They work tough day jobs and are still finding ways to pursue their love for art,” Krishna explained.
The show features 10 artists and 50 pieces of art. All of them have pops of colour, the trademark of their teacher, Krishan. Even so, they deal with a range of subjects and stories. “We have a 60 year old paediatrician who picked up her brush after 30 years. She painted a brilliant portrait and went onto experiment with still life as well,” said Krishnan, referring to Dr. Shobha Kripa and her portrait of Paul McCartney. There are works that are also slightly inclined towards corporate art. The art show will also have a live painting session by artist Katiana Prabhu.
What: Art Show by Figurative Art Society
When: 19 Aug 4-9pm
Where: Atta Galatta Koramangala
