He creates wonders on glass-ancestral Islamic designs, cathedral works, etchings, three-dimensional art works. Stained glass artist Prabhakaran Kanichar has carved a niche for himself in the art scene by mastering and propagating an art that is less known in India. The artist who has introduced the European classical art to Kerala, owns another credit. His works have found a place in this year’s issue of ‘International Contemporary Artists’, a globally renowned magazine. Prabhakaran is the first stained glass artist from the Indian subcontinent to get this rare honour.

Glass, in its unalloyed and transparent form has always enticed Prabhakaran. The artist who has diligently dedicated his life to glass art since the past 25 years, whose works adorn the walls of mosques, churches and government buildings in many Gulf countries says, “Stained glass art is an ancient art form, that has been around even before the reformation period. Many of the ecclesiastic designs found in the European cathedrals are drawn on stained glass.”

The artist who was born in a remote village, Kanichar, in Kannur has come a long way from his humble beginnings. After his formal art education from Chennai, he worked as an art director in several ad agencies in Chennai, Mumbai and Kochi after which he went to Oman. “The beauty of the intrinsic glass works beckoned me. I learned the Arabian art from there.”

“Outside India, the status of stained glass art has grown a lot from being only a Biblical art. While earlier only ecclesiastic designs were made, now the art has entered the drawing rooms of homes. It has become more secular. Now there is demand for custom based designs, as well,” he says.

However Prabhakaran rues that in India the art is yet to pick up. “Here the status of this art is degenerated to the level of glass painting which is not actually an art by itself. While there are professional courses on this art abroad, here people are not even aware what it is.”

The artist who runs his gallery, ‘Fantasies on Glass’ near Cherthala says, “It is not an easy task to create these glass pieces. The hand made coloured glass that are antique pieces have to be cut and fabricated, which is a strenuous process.”

His long-cherished dream is to create a ‘glass art museum’ in New Delhi. “The glass museum will reflect the historical events of the country, its achievements in art, literature, science and technology.” Prabhakaran has already received the copyright for the project, and hopes he will soon get permission to begin the work.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Parvathy Nambidi / August 20th, 2012