When a movie is rendered colorfully on a canvas

Even though his family was steeped in the fine arts, Syamgopal Acharya longed to be connected to movies and filmmaking. He spent several years honing his lens on moving arts while pursuing his passion as a filmmaker. But 25 years after Syamgopal had assumed he had said goodbye to the trade he had inherited, he found himself taking up the brush once again in 2023.

His most recent creation, which combines his passion for the reel with the depth of fine arts, is an homage to the several filmmakers who have made a lasting impression on Mollywood. Film and art enthusiasts have taken an interest in the forty portraits, which are named Celluloid N Canvas and are on display at Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery in Thrissur.

The director-artist and curator of the show, Ranju Leaf, has been contacted by Kerala Chalachitra Academy, who has also indicated a strong interest in arranging a comparable show in Kochi. This one, scheduled for May 22 at Durbar Hall Art Gallery, will have thirty more director portraits.

“I’ve made an effort to include a wide range of Malayalam filmmakers, from modern directors to J. C. Daniel, regarded as the founding father of the genre. This pick was made without any rigid guidelines. The procedure was very impromptu, according to Syamgopal.

The creative process was as impromptu and unstructured as the decision-making process. “Instead of painting in a photorealistic manner, I have chosen to paint freehand. I created without following the restrictions that apply to this particular art form. Rather, I let my emotions and imagination control the brush. Rather than aiming for flawless photographic accuracy, my goal was to bring personality and emotion into the photographs,” the artist said.

Using this method also allowed him to finish all 40 pictures in three weeks, each taking up two to three feet of canvas. The show, which was initially scheduled to run for a week, was recently extended by twenty days due to the extraordinarily good feedback from the attendees.

Acharya Syamgopal
Even though a lot of artists had painted directors in the past, Syamgopal was the first to choose the pieces and organize an exhibition. The Kerala Chalachitra Academy has also been engaged for just this reason.

The fast evolution of portrait photography technology throughout time begs the issue of whether portrait paintings are still relevant. But it’s the emotional nuance that Syamgopal captures in his images that has me captivated. The curator Ranju claims that while the directors he represents are well-known, his perception of them gives the work additional depth.

“I have never seen a portrait of my father like this before,” said C. J. Harris, the son of director J. C. Daniel, who opened the show. He never lost his energy till the very end. Syamgopal captures the enthusiasm in his rendition.

The artist is very grateful for the wonderful feedback that his pieces have received.He thinks it will intensify his motivation to continue using the brush. Malayalam authors’ portraits were on display during Syamgopal’s first exhibition, which took place in December at the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery.