Iruvan Karunakaran

Iruvan Karunakaran is a contemporary Indian artist who was born in the temple town of Madurai in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. He received his BFA from Kumbakonam’s Government College of Arts & Crafts. He spent eight years working in animation before deciding to devote himself full-time to fine art. His painting reflects the timeless essence of village life as well as the hectic speed of urban life in a unique way. Whether he is painting a decorated bull or a city street in the rain, his precise control of light and shade produces an almost photographic image. The viewer is made to feel like a participant in these dynamic scenarios by his use of the palette knife, which gives them a dense texture and intensity. In his deft hands, the vast sweep, colour, and flow of Indian life come to life. Iruvan Karunakaran explains his fascination with India’s daily life and its silent magic, “The streets inspire me very much. They come from somewhere and go somewhere else…. It’s like standing at the point called today, with yesterday behind you and tomorrow ahead of you. People seek the streets and roads… They want to get somewhere and do something… The continuous movement on the street makes it feel as if it is alive. What better place to watch and express life with, if not the streets?

The “Gangireddu,” or ornamented ox, original painting series by Iruvan Karunakaran, is especially well-liked. He paints a picture of the vibrantly dressed Gangireddus and their teacher “Gangireddu” wandering the streets of Andhra-Karnataka in search of alms. After the oxen grow too old to farm, the local farmers give their gangrenous to the nomadic caste known as gangireddollus.