It is only 9 am on a Friday, but Kannimangalam Krishnan Venkateswaran is already up and running. The 95-year-old has just spent his birthday morning (March 27) at the gym. “It is a regular practice. I never miss my gym routine,” he points out, piling on this writer’s guilt. It is a big day after all; for after over 50-years of practice, Venkateswaran is currently hosting the first exhibition of his works in Mumbai, Engraved Vision: Scratchboard Works.

A drawing

Having started sketching in his teens at school in Cochin, he soon progressed to watercolour on canvas. His skills earned him a gold medal from the Maharaja of Travancore in 1946. “One of my earliest discoveries was John Ruskin’s Modern Painters in the library of my college. I read all five volumes. My inspiration was JMW Turner, one of the greatest artists of his age,” he shares.

The artist works on an etching

An employment at Air India felt like a golden opportunity. Venkateswaran would spend the day working at the office in Nariman Point, and practice in the evenings. Working with the airline also allowed for exposure, and visits to galleries across the world from London to Sydney. The shift to scratchboard as a medium was a discovery made during a job interview at J Walter Thompson. “That’s where they explained to me how scratchboard art is key to advertising design,” the artist recalls. While the job never materialised, the artist had discovered his medium.

Scratchboarding is the process of layering a board canvas with white clay, superimposed by another layer of black paint/charcoal. The artist then scratches his work on this surface. “The layers have to be very smooth to ensure clear scratches. Highly defined scratchwork is better than a photograph. Those lines bring out sharp details,” the Powai resident, whose works include detailed portraitures and animal etchings, explains.

With 61 works on display, Venkateswaran plans to showcase a live demonstration as well. “Everyone has been kind and encouraging to me. I share my works on social media, and people always have kind words. I have never grown tired of my art,” he concludes. We’d do well to take a leaf out of that optimism.

Till March 29; 11 am to 7 pm
AT PL Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy, Ravindra Natya Mandir, Prabhadevi