Rediscovering the beauty of Traditional Kerala Mural

By Shobha Iyer

Shobha Iyer is a Dubai-based self-learned Indian Contemporary Artist. Her career in painting, as a creative artist, began with a fascination for colors and color variations. She began integrating vibrant colors that bring painting lovers positive energy and visual enjoyment. While her devotions were primarily based on Oil Paints from the beginning and reflected her curiosity in diverse media such as acrylic, mix media and fabric paints. It was also a very positive thing for artists. In the nature of the materials used to paint her imagination, she never compromises, as her artwork is supported by the fact that it portrays a beautiful albeit longstanding craft.

Over the last years I've been working on wall art because works of art involve minute details and a tight structure. Since such inventions require intense patience and dedication. It takes months for each of my works to finish and to reach the happy final product, which gives the production a magical effect. Any of my wall paintings below display the passion and devotion to this special traditional art development!

KERALA MURAL - Origin

Kerala is a southwestern state on the Malabar Coast of India. Kerala mural paintings highlight the saintly devotion of Kerala. Kerala mural paintings are the Frescos depicting Hindu Mythology and legends which are drawn on walls of temples and churches in South India, mostly Kerala. One unique aspect of mural is that physical architecture of the surface is incorporated into the artwork. The earliest known murals existed in the Paleolithic era, discovered in caves in southern France. Traditionally Kerala mural started dating back between the 9th to 12th centuries .Gajendhra Moksha is the largest painting existing in Kerala (in the palace walls of krishnapuram in Alaphuzha). The famous Gajendra Moksha mural in Krishnapuram, which measures fourteen feet by eleven feet, memorializes the pastimes of Vishnu and Gajendra.

"Although the Kerala Mural originated in the 9-10th century, the art proliferated from the 15th century onwards."

HISTORY

The mural of Kerala drills deep into legends of Puranas, of Ramayana and of Mahabharata and shows gods, as Vishnu and Shiva in all glory. The mural topics have been taken from religious texts. The muralof the Palace and the Temple are filled by glamorous pictures of Hindu pantheon gods and goddesses. Flora, Fauna and other natural features have also been depicted as backdrops.

ORIGIN

The mural of Kerala drills deep into legends of Puranas, of Ramayana and of Mahabharata and shows gods, as Vishnu and Shiva in all glory.  The mural topics have been taken from religious texts. The mural of the Palace and the Temple are filled by glamorous pictures of Hindu pantheon gods and goddesses. Flora, Fauna and other natural features have also been depicted as backdrops.

STYLE & SURFACE

The murals of Kerala unfathomably stands out for their prominence in beauty, clarity and symmetry with unmatchable linear accuracy. The tradition of Kerala mural painting is unique in the world and it’s extremely rich in symbolism, made only with natural mineral pigments, the colours represents the qualities of the 3 Gunas.

• Sattva- purity, which is usually painted in green colour, the figures painted with green are those, for whom knowledge is chief characteristic.
• Rajas- The spur to activity, is predominant and, are painted in golden yellow.
• Tamas - intertie, the least pure is curiously expressed by white. The traditional colours used in this art are red, yellow ochre, green, blue, white & black.

The traditional style mural art firm uses natural pigments and vegetable colours. But today the colours used are synthetic colours which are bright.

MAKING OF MURAL

It starts by applying gesso layer to prime the area to be painted. The area is then chalked out with numbered grid, which is used to translate the scaled down image design to the mural site. Finally, the mural is painted using fine thin brushes for intricate lines and dots for the depth with multiple layers of paints to create the image.

CONCLUSION

Modernization had influenced the art and artist to a large extent. In the olden days these mural paintings were painted on the walls of temples, palaces & churches. Now it can be done on any surface like paper, canvases, TFT boards and are being tried on terracotta and lately on fabrics too...The mural art drawings or designs have retained their traditional styles, all the mediums has been shifted to synthetic paints instead of natural pigments. The unique feature noted in the mural is the excellent color combination which influences they're over all aesthetic appeal.

"The oldest of the murals found in Kerala are those in the Thirunandikkara Cave temple now a part of Kanyakumari district in the neighboring State of Tamil Nadu."

Every mural is a testament to the depth of dedication the artists have to their art. The temples and palaces of Kerala are all a visual treat wherein the sagas of ancient Hindu Gods and Goddesses unfold. The murals of Kerala evolved through the significant influences of ancient Dravidian rituals like Kalamezhuthu and Patayani. The murals of Kerala are unparalleled in their subtlety, sharpness and ethereal beauty.

Kerala Wall is an exquisite souvenir, a symbol of the natural elegance, stylishness and purity and piety. This patience helps to transcend civilization and the time devastation through this artistic form. Paintings of Kerala Mural are treasure-filled memories of the history of Indian art. Of note, Kerala 's divine past offers us the glorified heritage of India.  These paintings address the distance between India's past and current past. The mural is an art of seraphic decoration. You could even study them. However, the validity of this art is very few locations.