When he was an inspector at the Ernakulam central police station where he was posted for seven years, A Ananthlal used to visit art exhibitions in the city, especially at the Durbar Hall. An artist by himself, he always dreamed of his works occupying the sprawling walls of the historic building, frequented by art connoisseurs of the city. He could not fulfil that dream before he was transferred to the State Crime Records Bureau, Thiruvananthapuram, last year. Hence, he is back in the city, hosting his first-ever art exhibition at Durbar Hall itself.
The show titled "A Police Story" features 70 works which Ananthlal worked out over several years. True to the title of the show, all the works displayed are themed around police life. The realistic images -- in watercolour, oil and acrylic -- are taken straight out of the ever-busy life of the men and women in khaki. Moments from police stations, courts and crime scenes are captured in all its details by Ananthlal.
One of the paintings shows a policeman rescuing an injured person from a flooded home while another picture features two cops at a rescue camp. The images show police personnel in crowds, forests, parade grounds and even in the sea.
The work featuring a cop picking up a severed human head from a railway track is sure to shock the viewers and sheds light on the strange experiences police personnel go through. Some of the works on display are high on emotional quotient also. The painting of an old man sitting on his verandah and watching his son's uniform hanging drenched in a cloth line is notable for its intensity.
"I always wanted to do a show on the professional life of police. I finished these works over a period of four years while I was working at the Metro police station in Kochi and Crime Records Bureau," Ananthlal told Onmanorama.
His works are full of people too. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan appear in multiple pictures while portraits of several superior officers of Ananthlal from various periods make a significant portion of the show. Manoj Abraham, C Nagaraju, K Sethuraman, Poonguzhali and Anil Kant are among the top officers portrayed by Ananthlal.
Ananthlal hopes to conduct a show in Thiruvananthapuram if his superior officers permit.
A native of Kanjikuzhi in Alappuzha, Ananthlal used to draw since his childhood. He started formal training in painting after moving to Kochi. He learned painting from Prussian Blue Art Hub. It's director Suresh T R is the curator of the show which will be on till August 13.
