Thiruvananthapuram: At a time when a section of people hails Nathuram Godse as a hero, some found refuge in a painting, which poignantly depicted the final moments of Mahatma Gandhi, to share their devotion for the Father of the nation. On Martyrs’ Day, several political leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and CPI leader Kanhaiya Kumar, shared the image, unfortunately without giving credit to the artist. Along with the prominent personalities, thousands of social media users shared the painting ‘Death of Gandhi’ without knowing that the efforts and skills of an artist were being ignored.
Artist Tom Vattakuzhy, who resides in Muvattupuzha, is someone who believes that art finds value when it interacts with a large section of people. That is why when he drew the image under the genre ‘History painting’ after spending several meditating hours and lot of homework, he shared it on Facebook last July. “It soon got over 8,000 shares. Later my friends in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata called me to tell that my work is being shared widely without credits. I didn’t find much issue until it was shared by known persons like Rahul Gandhi and Kanhaiya Kumar without due credit,” said Vattakuzhy, who was trained at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan and Baroda university.
“We won’t use a poem without acknowledging the poet. We give credits to filmmakers. That is ingrained in our culture. However, it is different in the case of paintings. It is not just the skill or the hours spent on the painting. In genres like history painting, which is not very prevalent in our country, an artist has to invest a lot of time doing homework,” Vattakuzhy said.
The artist said that he found the need to depict the moment as there are attempts to tamper with history. “So far, artists have romanticized and personalized Gandhiji. At a time when history is at stake, I felt it was important to tell moments through the genre ‘history painting’,” he said.
Vattakuzhy has used the medium Gouache for the painting. The expressions of shock and despair of the mob in the painting adds to the emotional drama of the moment. Vattakuzhy said that he has also seen Christ in the image of Gandhi. “There is no religious connotation in bringing Christ. I see them as two persons who sacrificed to uphold truth,” he said.
Four years ago, Vattakuzhy’s interpretation of the Last Supper which depicted an undraped dancer-spy Mata Hari had triggered a controversy after a section of Christians mistook her for Mother Mary.
Artist Tom Vattakuzhy, who resides in Muvattupuzha, is someone who believes that art finds value when it interacts with a large section of people. That is why when he drew the image under the genre ‘History painting’ after spending several meditating hours and lot of homework, he shared it on Facebook last July. “It soon got over 8,000 shares. Later my friends in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata called me to tell that my work is being shared widely without credits. I didn’t find much issue until it was shared by known persons like Rahul Gandhi and Kanhaiya Kumar without due credit,” said Vattakuzhy, who was trained at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan and Baroda university.
“We won’t use a poem without acknowledging the poet. We give credits to filmmakers. That is ingrained in our culture. However, it is different in the case of paintings. It is not just the skill or the hours spent on the painting. In genres like history painting, which is not very prevalent in our country, an artist has to invest a lot of time doing homework,” Vattakuzhy said.
The artist said that he found the need to depict the moment as there are attempts to tamper with history. “So far, artists have romanticized and personalized Gandhiji. At a time when history is at stake, I felt it was important to tell moments through the genre ‘history painting’,” he said.
Vattakuzhy has used the medium Gouache for the painting. The expressions of shock and despair of the mob in the painting adds to the emotional drama of the moment. Vattakuzhy said that he has also seen Christ in the image of Gandhi. “There is no religious connotation in bringing Christ. I see them as two persons who sacrificed to uphold truth,” he said.
Four years ago, Vattakuzhy’s interpretation of the Last Supper which depicted an undraped dancer-spy Mata Hari had triggered a controversy after a section of Christians mistook her for Mother Mary.
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