As Gopakumar made his way over the Alappuzha Bridge one night, the beauty of the broken reflection of the moon between the tied up fishermen boats struck him.
The image influenced him so much that he later poured it out onto a canvas and ‘Boats Tied in Moonlight’ was born. This is one of the 20 paintings on display at the painting exhibition, Fire by S. Gopakumar at Durbar Hall Art Gallery, Kochi.
“Most of my paintings are inspired by everyday events and certain defining moments in my life. All my paintings have a story behind it. For example, the painting, ‘Morning Visitors’, represents how I visualise the singing of the birds at the break of daylight.
Since I am half in a dream while listening to them, I don’t know what birds they are. This is why the birds are all white. Moreover, being an architect, I do all my paintings keeping in mind their aesthetic appeal in interiors. So I create bright and colourful images.”
Gopakumar adds, “I was interested in painting right from my student days and even received the Kerala Lalithakala Academy Award in the 70s. But later on, as I became engrossed with my work as an architect, I took a hiatus.
Of late, however, I have started investing time in painting again by utilising my weekends. Except for eight of the paintings on display, the rest were all done within the past three months.”
He said that rather than the end product it is the process of painting that he loves. “It’s like watching a good movie or reading a good book. You enjoy the time you spent in relishing it.
I usually head out to my porch alone when I’m painting. So it’s a calm and peaceful time when I can reflect on everything happening around me,” said Gopakumar.
