Pics: Santhosh Kaviyoor

It is not only his time-defying art that makes B D Dethan a household name in Kerala, but also his intrinsic earnestness and lovable candour. This artist, who rubs shoulders with the maestros of Indian art scene, has no such airs about him. Standing amidst his paintings that belong to the series ‘Avastha’ (Condition), Dethan laments about the despicable condition of world today. His paintings, often abstract, conceive the complexities of world in an appealing get-up. They are his mouthpieces against the societal stigmas that haunt innocent minds with their impractical logics. Dethan is conducting an exhibition of his latest series ‘Avastha’ at Suryakanthi Gallery, Sasthamangalam, from March 12 to 31.

“This is not the golden era of humanity or nature. People’s worlds have shrunk to themselves. We are promoting a culture where one is eating oneself. I am scared of the democracy, the world, the people. I am scared of everything around me. So this is my fight against the our current ‘condition’,” says Dethan.

To curb his creative hunger pangs that began at a very young age, this veteran took to painting once he was out of school. The ‘Studio International Magazine’ (published from London during 1964-1992) which he happened to stumble upon at the Public Library here, was what inspired him to learn art. The magazine opened a bigger and better world before the young man, who was yearning for a change from the portraits and landscapes he had seen around him. The works of Masters like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Jackson Pollack that featured in the magazine were nothing like the paintings he had seen until then. Dethan was easily swayed by the glimpses of modern art he got to experience from the magazine.

“If you ask me who is my teacher, I will say it is ‘Studio International’. That magazine was a treasure trove of world art. The exposure it gave me was immense,” says Dethan. Dethan’s paintings often following a surrealistic school, however, they stand out of their own, with little trace of influence.

When he first joined the School of Art in the city, he didn’t even know how to hold a brush. He was often considered a black sheep in the class where the perfect renditions or copies scaled far higher than experimental works.

“School of Art was a place where they churned out art teachers for schools. I always came last in my class during those days as I didn’t know the basics of drawing. Once I was asked to draw a cat who jumps before a bicycle for an exam and I was lost. I didn’t know to draw a cat or cycle. My teacher told me never to enter the class again. But from there I have worked hard to reach where I am today,” he says.  

On a women’s attire festooned with delicate flower designs Dethan strokes eyes, nose and lips. The costume easily gets into character, while condescending the mangods thriving in the country, quite relevant in today’s times. Though many
mistook it for the Hindu god ‘Shivan’, Dethan says he never had Shivan in his mind when he painted it. On another canvas he paints life-giving pills lying on the floor. They invite the consumers with their iridescent colours. But what are they really? Elixirs or poisons? The artist wonders. Magazine pages often serve as canvases for Dethan. He carves designs on them with a blade, while the background serves as colours and patterns.

Dethan’s paintings always belong to a series, represent an issue or an array of issues. His first series, ‘Kali’, done in black and white using pen and ink, took over the Kerala art scene by storm in the 1980s.

His style never retained, rather it changed shape and style over the years, depending on the theme. And it is his adaptability that makes Dethan’s works different from other artists’.

“After my Kali series I got bored and started the ‘Faces’ series which was done with charcoals. Then I did a vibrant abstract series and then a very realistic nude series. Later I did a “Parinamam’ (Evolution) series, which garnered a lot of attention. So I don’t stick to a particular style. I believe that the artists should have a strong base before they jump into an abstract style. I can draw an extremely realistic image with as much skill as an abstract image,” says Dethan.