Kochi: Attempts to use art as a means to propagate hatred should be resisted, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Sunday as he opened a research centre in the name of eminent artist A Ramachandran who passed away in February this year. The chief minister stressed on the need to propagate Ramachandran’s vision of art which is based on humanism and environmental equilibrium.
The chief minister inaugurated Dhyan Chitra: A Ramachandran Visual Cultural Lab at the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi’s Durbar Hall art centre.
“We should be able to make painting and sculpture traditions which are not accessible to ordinary people accessible to them. We should be able to pass on to the masses the vision of art put forth by artists like A Ramachandran which are based on humanism and environmental equilibrium. It is important at a time when art is used to spread hatred,” the chief minister said.
The CM remembered Ramachandran as a link which connected a broad tradition to the present times.
“He has conducted intense studies on art history. His valuable book collection is proof of this. This cultural lab contains art history and Ramachadran's life history alike. It will be beneficial to art students of all levels,” he said.
A library housing 4,000 books from Ramachandran's exclusive collection on art and several valuable items including the awards he received are part of the centre. They were donated to the Lalithakala Akademi by Ramachandran's family, comprising his wife, artist Tan Yuan Chameli, an their children Rahul, a NASA scientist, and Sujata.
The collection of art books reveals Ramachandran’s strong preoccupation with subjects, such as classical Indian art iconography, as well as Asian, African, and Latin American art traditions. It includes a blend of studies and monographs on both non-Western and Western contemporary and historical artists. At Dhyana Chitra, Ramachandran’s collection of books is displayed in the original bookshelves he had designed for his studio.
The CM said Ramachandran’s family has also agreed to hand over the paintings and sculptures by the artist to the state government and they will be displayed at the museum being set up in Kollam, as part of Sree Narayana Guru Cultural Complex.
Minister for Culture and Films Saji Cherian who chaired the meet said the museum under construction will house paintings and sculptures of Ramchandran valued at around Rs 300 crore. Industries Minister P Rajeev, Hibi Eden MP, T J Vinod MLA, Kochi Mayor M Anilkumar, former minister M A Baby, Ramachandran's children Rahul and Sujata, Kerala Lalithakala Akademi chairman Murali Cheeroth and secretary N Balamuralikrishnan attended the event.
