An artist’s anamorphic tribute to Mohanlal’s monumental win

Saturday night was a restless one for artist Rajendran Vadakkepadath. As news of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award winner broke, he could not shake off the excitement of Mohanlal’s monumental win.

The anticipation simmered, refusing to let him sleep. But as the creative juices took over, Mr. Rajendran found solace in his art. The night’s silence was filled with the gentle dance of brushes across the canvas. With mathematical precision and calculated strokes, he paid tribute to Mohanlal by bringing the actor’s anamorphic image to life in a kaleidoscope of acrylic colours.

He took 15 hours to complete the anamorphic tribute. “I wanted to do something unique to celebrate the occasion. I thought giving life to Mohanlal in the anamorphic art form will be apt,” said Mr. Rajendran.

This was not Mr. Rajendran’s first foray into anamorphic art featuring Mohanlal. He had previously brought to life the iconic Kunhali Marakkar character as well as Tamil stars like Suriya and Rajinikanth.

Mr. Rajendran had paid tribute to iconic figures through his distinctive leaf cutting art, skilfully crafting portraits of legends like Diego Maradona and Lata Mangeshkar on banyan tree leaves. His artistic versatility shines through in other mediums, too, as evident in his letter art tributes to Mohammed Rafi and Tovino Thomas.

Anamorphic art stands out from other art forms, often eschewing traditional framing and wall display. While the current generation is more or less familiar with this unique art form, surprisingly few artists explore it. According to Mr. Rajendran, the complexity of anamorphic art deters many would-be practitioners.

Anamorphic art shows a weird picture, but when you look at it from a certain angle or through a curved mirror, it looks normal. Mr. Rajendran uses a steel pipe instead of a mirror to make his art look right.

“Cylindrical glass mirrors are risky,” he said. “They can break if not handled carefully.”

Mr. Rajendran explained that he stretches the image to fit a 270-degree view. When reflected in a 90-degree cylinder, the image looks normal again. “The idea is simple, but it needs a lot of patience to get it right,” he said.

Anamorphic art, though said to have originated in China, has been used for centuries. “I learned stories about kings using this art to cleverly encrypt their messages,” he said.