Good morning! It’s Friday and I have a lovely post for you; I can’t remember the last time I was this excited about sharing someone’s work. Today, I present to you the much accomplished 31-year-old Chennai based artist Santhana Krishnan’s work. This is going to be a long one, so please brace yourselves for a colorful journey into the world of paintings.

I first saw Santhanam’s work a few years ago – he is my brother’s friend’s cousin. The door paintings were mesmerising, even then with my limited knowledge of paintings and artists. With over 800 paintings on mixed media and acrylic on canvas to his  credit, the central theme of his work has remained constant: doors. Santhanam grew up in the quaint, little,  orthodox, Southern town of Kumbakonam. Through his paintings, we get a glimpse of the conservative Tamil, Brahmin community, the distinctive houses, the architecture and such.

Most of his paintings draw inspiration from the traditional houses you see in Kumbakonam. Umm, on second thoughts, that may not true hold any longer. I was there in Kumbakonam last Friday (yep, I grew up there) and most of the old houses have given way to modern buildings and apartments. Some, like my grandparents, have retained the sloping  roof exteriors with the thoon and thinnai but the interiors are none what one would have seen two to three decades ago.