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L ife,
its exuberance, genuineness is popping out from the paintings!!!
Yes, those are the paintings of 'Yusuf Arakkal' the
renowned artist from Bangalore. After finishing the project
with Tourism Department of Kerala , he is now ingrained in
portraying the works of world's renowned artists like Picasso,
Modigliani, Henry Moore, and Jan Vermeer. According to
him, adapting the works of renowned artists by another is
like inserting the quotes of great personalities into your
own literary work and it needs a lot of patience and concentration.
He is also working on a giant size portrait of Jesus Christ.
Ara kkal
is a Diploma holder in Painting from the Chitrakala Parishath
College of Art, Bangalore. He has conducted over 38 shows
in various places like Bangalore, Madras, Hyderabad, Calcutta,
Mumbai and New Delhi. Internationally he has shown his works
in London, France, New York, Honk Kong and Singapore. He received
the Lalit Kala Academy Award in 1979 and in 1981, the
Shiromani Kala Puraskar in 1983, and the award of the
Third Asian Art Biennale, Dhaka, Bangladesh in 1986.
Here he shares some of his experiences exclusively for the
viewers of bangalorebest.com
What is his concern for Bangalore? 
I have been living in Bangalore for the past 40 years. High
rises are replacing the greenery of the city day by day. At
least the remaining green spots in the city should be protected.
A city should be planned like New York - a city which was planned
a hundred years ahead.
What is his unforgettable experience abroad?
It was an incident at Villaijouse, a village near Limos city
in France. During my Europe travel, I happened to visit the
village and began to sketch on a roadside. When I turned back
after some time, I found a big crowd keenly watching my work.
I never expected such a crowd there. And somebody among the
crowd, perhaps observing me sweating in the hot sun, offered
me a cool drink also. And the painting was sold instantly
on the spot itself. It was a rare experience.
What changes has he found in press and media,
especially in  Bangalore?
It is good to see more and more women journalists these
days. During the 1970s there was hardly one or two.
Why didn't he work on other art media like
sculptures?
Sculptures consume more time since they need a prior plan.
(Other than paintings, he has created sculptures and murals
as well).
What was he doing before?
I worked in HAL for 18 years. I joined HAL as a trainee in
1963. When I intended to become a full time artist I resigned
the HAL job.
How was the tour in Kerala?
It was very nice and memorable. People showed lot of enthusiasm
in my works. I did about 50 paintings during the 11-day state
tour for Kerala Tourism Board.
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