Wrote to my friend, painter and cartoonist Keshav on his recent painting of Krishna –
Dear Keshav,
Read the responses seeking explanation on ‘Krishna’ shared on your time line.
The culture of art appreciation in India revolves around a core response, ‘ this painting is so real, faithful to the original’.
We are ready to walk an extra mile to interpret a poem or a work of prose, make extra efforts to understand the basics of the Ragha and thala of the song we hear sung or played but expect the painter to explain what he is conveying through his work.
As an exasperated Pablo Picasso once said about his famous painting Guernica, ‘.this bull is a bull and this horse is a horse… If you give a meaning to certain things in my paintings it may be very true, but it is not my idea to give this meaning. What ideas and conclusions you have got I obtained too, but instinctively, unconsciously. I make the painting for the painting. I paint the objects for what they are’. And still the debate is on as to how Picasso expresses his strong opinions against the Spanish Civil War in this painting.
Thanks for the daily ambrosia of Krishna – Oh Lord in Heaven, give us through Keshav our daily Krishna. And the brilliant venpa from Mohan-ji, accompanying each sketch!!
warm regards
era
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KRISHNA FOR TODAY….
“புருஷனும் ப்ரக்ரிதியும் பின்னிப் பிணைந்த
தரிசன தாமோ தரனுக்(கு ) -ஒருஷணத்தில்
INஏங்கும் ராதைக்கு OUTடோடும் கீதைக்கு
IN-YANGசை னீஸ்வரன் இன்று”….கிரேசி மோகன் ….
சைனா +ஈஸ்வரன் =சைனீச்வரன்
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Kalamandalam Gopi – a new metaphor for work life – personal life balancing
I am providing the URL to an excerpt from the classic documentary by Adoor Gopalakrishnan on Kathakali maestro Kalamandalam Gopi.
In this scene artistically conceived by Adoor, Kalamandalam Gopi introduces to the viewer his stage consort for 35 long years, Kottakkal Sivaraman
(who passed away 3 years ago).
The pair’s performance in Nala Charithram aatta katha with Gopi as Nalan and Sivaraman as Dhamayanthi is still remembered by Kathakali lovers throughout the world.
Adoor commences the scene with Gopi sitting cross legged on the floor and beginning with a lovely smile, ‘Let me introduce my on-stage ‘wife’, Kottakal Sivaraman, for the past 35 years’.
Sivaraman is sitting to the right of Gopi, a few feet away from him and somewhat in front. Then Gopi continues, ‘now let me introduce my wife in real life, Chandrika’.
The camera pans to the left and there sits his wife Chandrika at the same distance from Gopi and a little in front, like Sivaraman.
The seating of characters and the lighting of the screen appear aesthetically pleasing as we saw in Kurasowa movies (remember the war strategizing scene in Kagemusha with Tatsya Nakadai presiding over the war council meet at night?).
Adoor cuts here and the next scene opens with another famous kathakali performancea ‘Karna moksham’. Sivaraman is here Kunti who reveals to the orphaned Karna (Gopi) she is his mother. The lilting music glides through as both characters emote without words and Karna falls at the feet of Kunti – another poignant scene.
Adoor weaves magic in this documentary like in any movie of his.
The scene I mention here commences at 1.11 min on the displayed strip. a thanks to the makers-referred here only for appreciating good cinema.