A lifetime’s worth of frames
Chitrakoodam is an exhibition featuring the works of the late artist CN Karunakaran. While the artist’s works span a period of around five decades, this particular exhibition focuses on the art he created between 200911.
For Archana Shenoy who curated Chitrakoodam, this exhibition stemmed from a personal connect with the artist. “We wanted to showcase a few artists who have been associated with the foundation space for a while now. I first met Karunakaran in 2006 at the Kerala Lalithakala Academy, in Cochin,” says Archana.
“From then on, until 2011, he would regularly share his art with us. There was an ongoing association with the Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation (SGMF) and I definitely liked his style. There are a lot of artists such as A Ramachandran from Attingal, whose work reflects similar influences and who have found their place in the sun; however, a retrospective showcasing Karunakaran’s legacy has been long overdue.” she adds.
Karunakaran founded Chitrakootam, the first private art gallery in Kera
Something new, something old
la, in 1970. The exhibition at SGMF was titled Chitrakoodam in a bid to honour his contributions to art.
In Malayalam, ‘chitrakoodam’ means picture frame; in mythology, it was in the forests of Chitrakuta that Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshmana spent their exile. Chitrakooda was also the capital of the Kingdom of Cochin between the 12th and 13th centuries.
As an artist, Karunakaran was largely inspired by Nature and mythology and he usually worked with oil on canvas, though in some of his paintings he also used acrylic and oil to achieve a threedimensional effect.
“This retrospective includes pieces created between 200911 and are catalogued works. This was a conscious decision on our part,” says Archana adding, “When artists are no more, there’s a chance for fakes to pop up in the market because it’s harder to verify in the absence of wellkept records.”
However, in 2011, artist Sathyapal TA authored a book titled Mythic Imagination: Art of C Karunakaran, in which he has documented the artist’s work. “It’s quite an extensive publication and we have kept copies at the gallery for visitors to refer to, while getting an insight about the artist and the details of his work,” she says.
Chitrakoodam features 12 majestic canvases sourced from the estate of the artist which is managed by Palette People. Founded in 1991, the Palette People International Art Foundation works towards supporting the artists’ community in Kerala.
Level up
The newly opened space comprising two wings is on the mezzanine floor of the building which also houses Gallery G.
“Right now, there are two exhibitions running simultaneously in this space — CN Karunakaran’s retrospective Chitrakoodam and a Raja Ravi Varma segment showcasing the artist’s divinity pieces,” says
Archana.
The two wings on this floor house the SGMF and the Raja Ravi Verma Heritage Foundation, respectively.
According to Archana, SGMF has been the principal patron of the Raja Ravi Verma Heritage Foundation, and with effect from February 29, 2024, they have been recognised as an official foundation, making them the goto place for anything Ravi Varma.
“Ravi Varma has always been known for his depiction of divinity. So, we decided to open the space with those pieces for people to come and see what they have always loved about this artist,” she says.
For this inaugural showing, the five most famous lithographs to this royal artist — Lord Shiva, Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Saraswati, Lord Vishnu and Lord Krishna — are on display. “All the artist’s lithographs are permanently with the foundation, while many collectors who don’t want to sell his paintings are happy to loan us a piece for a few months, which would otherwise be hidden away in a private collection. At this foundation space, we aim to constantly have a few of his original paintings on display at all times.”
Chitrakoodam will be on display at the Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation, Lavelle Road till March 31, 2024.