Till a few years ago, tourists to Fort Kochi and Mattancherry would often gather around a father-son duo who beautifully captured on their canvas the heritage buildings in the area.
Dinesh Shenoy, 55, and son Achutha, now a first year student at Government Law College, Ernakulam, used to be engrossed in their work, unmindful of the noise from the busy streets around.
Ever since he made a serious foray into painting in 1996, Mr. Shenoy has done around 450 paintings of heritage structures, often assisted by his son. “Many of the structures, including places of worship, were dismantled or given a new look over the years,” he said, pointing to the walls of his house-cum-studio at Mattancherry, where his monochromatic sepia paintings in oil are exhibited.
Elaborating on the advantages of this mode of painting, Mr. Shenoy said it was cost effective. “Even portraits and intricate works can be done using this. Fungus that accrues over time on them can also be cleaned easily.”
About 80 of the paintings are of mosques from across Kerala, including the Cheraman Juma Masjid, the oldest in the Indian sub-continent. There are also several paintings of temples, synagogues, churches and historical structures from many districts.
An exhibition of his works titled ‘Heritage Wall’ was inaugurated at his studio on Sunday by Mayor M. Anilkumar. The event also saw the launch of ‘A plant on each table’ project, which aims to popularise indoor plants.
“Many of my works adorn museums, including the one at Hill Palace, Thripunithura and the Arakkal museum in Kannur. My studies in St. Albert’s School, Ernakulam, kindled the love for heritage buildings. Its unique architectural style, especially an octagon-shaped classroom where Sanskrit was taught, was striking. I also wanted to keep alive memories of old buildings demolished over the years,” said Mr. Shenoy.
He was initiated into painting by Joseph Newton who hailed from Mulanthuruthy. His daughter Yashoda, who runs a library, rose to fame as the youngest librarian in India.
