Every End is a New Beginning
The art show, ‘Irai Idam Ivar’ which showcased the work of octogenarian Mr. Manivelu, ran for a successful 100 days at two venues, Orikkai in Kanchipuram and DOT Art Gallery in Chennai. The show which was organized by DOT School of Design garnered acclaim with multiple eminent personalities visiting the show. Mr. Manivelu juxtaposes his artistic vigour and his devotion to the deities in his life’s work which were birthed from the ‘Karuvarai’ of various temples across India. With every embellishment and minute detail of the gods & goddesses impeccably captured in the exquisite paintings and sketches of Mr. Manivelu, the exhibit offered the spectators the experience of visiting each of these temples in person.
The show had multiple renowned visitors during the 100-days both in Orikkai as well as in Chennai. We would also like to thank our media partner, Dinamalar for their features which helped in taking this show to a larger audience. The visitors were transfixed by the paintings of the legendary artist and had the enriching experience the divine painting offered under one roof.
The 100-day Art Show concluded on January 4th, 2022, with the presence of the Guest of Honor, Mr. Maniam Selvan, who is a leading illustrator for various Tamil Magazines from Chennai and is the protege of the famous artist, Mr. T.V. Subramaniam. The theological artist of the exhibit, Mr. Manivelu graced the event as the Chief Guest.
Mr. Maniam Selvan applauded the historic milestone achieved by DOT School of Design, the Chairperson, Mr. Ar. R. Raammnath and the DOT Art Gallery Co-ordinator Mr. Balasubramaniam for successfully conducting this Divine exhibition for 100-days. He expressed his awe for the craftsmanship of Mr. Manivelu and his artistic skill of depicting the deities in sanctum sanctorum, thereby transmitting the artist’s devotion and the divinity of the deities to the on-lookers through the paintings. Mr.Maniam, being an acclaimed artist himself, shared the difficulties involved in bringing such enlivening portraits to life with just the illumination of an oil lamp. He compared Mr. Manivelu with the renowned late artist P.M. Sreenivasan, fondly known as ‘Silpi’. Mr. Maniam said that after Silpi, Mr. Manivelu holds the tradition of precise representation of the deities through exquisite craftsmanship for more than forty years.
He concluded his speech by advising the students of DOT to understand and learn the importance of traditional art forms in Tamil Nadu. He requested them to innovate on our indigenous art forms to take them forward to the next generation. Mr. Maniam and Mr. Raammnath honoured Mr. Manivelu by bestowing him with the ‘DOT School of Design – Lifetime Achievement Award’. The event ended with the successful completion of the 100-day art show, ‘Irai Idam Ivar’.
The 100-day show might have ended, but Mr. Manivelu’s art & devotion continues on through his paintings, through the cumulative experience of the spectators. We hope this ending leads to more new beginnings.
DOT Art Gallery is now available for rent to showcase various art forms. Have an innovative performance that supersedes space and time? Looking for a space that facilitates your creative intuition? Talk to the DOT Art Gallery team to see how you can bring your vision to life at the gallery space. To know more, email [email protected] or visit our website.
DOT School of Design is Chennai’s 1st Exclusive Design College offering courses in the disciplines of Industrial Design, Communication Design, Interior Design, Fashion Design and Fine Arts. Admissions for the year 2022 are now open, to know more check out DOT’s website.
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