Homegrown legends’ portraits on display

Coimbatore: An exhibition of portraits of legendary figures from the city adorned the inaugural day celebrations of Koavi Gethu Day here on Saturday. A large number of art lovers thronged the government museum, where the exhibition got underway, to appreciate the pencil sketches by an upcoming portrait artist form Annur.
The exhibition was decided on the spur of the moment, says C Sivakumar, the museum’s curator. “Last week, I found a young man with a keen interest in the paintings in the permanent collection of the museum. While speaking to him, I got to know he was an artist and I asked him to exhibit his works in the museum.”

V Manoj Kumar readily accepted the invitation. On learning about the Coimbatore Day, the 24-year-old artist decided to bring in a city touch and made portraits of eminent people from the city. Pencil portraits of administrators and innovators from the city such as Rathina Sabapathi Mudaliar, G D Naidu and V O Chidambaram Pillai, who was lodged in the prison in the city, form part of the works put on display at the museum.

“If I had known well in advance about the Coimbatore Day, I would have done more portraits of eminent people from the city,” said Manoj Kumar, a self-taught artist.

The exhibition also has on display his other pencil portrait works and 3D sketch works. The exhibition would go on for five days.

Sivakumar said exhibition space would be provided to the city-based artists and photographers who are willing to exhibit their works. “We will provide them space for free and they can hold five-day exhibitions.”