I revise my style every five years or so: Kattoor Narayana Pillai

Artist Kattoor Narayana Pillai is a tall figure in Kerala's art scene, and has served as the chairman of Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and as principal at the College of Fine Arts in Thiruvananthapuram.

Having explored art for over five decades, he states that his focus has always been on "exploring different forms".His works from as early as 1970 are showcased at an exhibition, titled Signature, Series 1: A Retrospective, at Museum Art Gallery in Thiruvananthapuram, organised by Leaf Art Projects. A total of 182 exhibits are lined up for visitors. "When I look back at my works from the 70s to 2024, I feel they can be classified into three or four sections.

I was a professor of painting. When I take classes, I always paint demonstrative works.

I have some of those with me, which were made based on the syllabus for academic studies, including figure study, nature study, etc. There were watercolour paintings, sketches, acrylic, etc. in it."

"Then, there are works that were about me, my views, and my studies. They are from a more creative aspect and most of the works are under this category.

There are some acrylic works that develop while I draw. Artists either follow a previously successful pattern or keep exploring. I prefer the latter and revise my style every five years or so. I learn the contemporary changes and try inculcating them in my works. Changes are inevitable and needed.

These days, art students are not following old patterns, but approach art and sculpture as their inventions. Likewise, my works will also have an element the previous one didn't have.

Artists will utilise the prospects of a particular time period, the availability of new materials, and the discovery of new forms — digital art, for example. How do we visualise our ideas using these modern means? They give a fresh feel and should be presented with that freshness retained ," he says.Speaking about thematic changes, he says, "When floods or landslides happen, I try and include these elements in my work — say, a tree that has uprooted, or the destruction caused by afforestation, animals entering human habitats, migration, etc. I go for a stylistic representative approach for these projects rather than going for a realistic depiction. Sometimes my work may be about self-exploration. People wonder what category they belong to, question themselves, and search for answers.

To present this, I paint formations on the body or face to show this. There should be something new in all works," he concludes.