Grand show featuring Achuthan Kudallur’s works gets under way in Kochi

A visitor at ‘The Memory of Colour’ painting exhibition featuring Achuthan Kudallur’s works at Durbar Hall Art Gallery in Kochi on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT

About 70 paintings, old photographs and archival materials of noted artist Achuthan Kudallur are on show at an exhibition titled The Memory of Colour, which got under way at the Durbar Hall Art Gallery on Thursday.  

Theodore Bhaskaran, film historian and wildlife conservationist, inaugurated the show. He said in general, abstractions in art entered the artist from the outside world. But in the case of Achuthan Kudallur, it came from within the artist. Kudallur’s favourite books were Albert Camus’s The Rebel and Nikos Kazantzakis’s Zorba The Greek. He wanted to paint a scene from Zorba. When he realised the impossibility of such desires, he chose to create abstract art works.  

A work displayed at ‘The Memory of Colour’ painting exhibition featuring Achuthan Kudallur’s works at Durbar Hall Art Gallery in Kochi.
| Photo Credit:
THULASI KAKKAT

Murali Cheeroth, chairman of Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi, and artist T. Kaladharan were among those who spoke.  

Paintings displayed at ‘The Memory of Colour’ exhibition featuring Achuthan Kudallur’s works at Durbar Hall Art Gallery in Kochi.
| Photo Credit:
THULASI KAKKAT

The show will be on between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily till November 11. The show is organised in collaboration with Ashvita’s, Chennai. Born in Kudallur in Ponnani, Achuthan studied engineering before reaching Madras and became a member of the Madras Arts Club. He went on to create works that carved a niche for himself the world over.  He died in 2022.