KR Santhana Krishnan
Born in 1977, K.R. Santhana Krishnan is an internationally acclaimed artist, known for his vibrant and intriguing door paintings. Santhana grew up in Edappadi in the Salem district of Tamil Nadu, and completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Government College of Fine Arts in Kumbakonam. He then did his Masters in Fine Arts from the Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai.
As a young student, studying in Kumbakonam, Chennai, artist Santhana Krishnan was fascinated by the ornate doors and thresholds he would walk past. His fascination for doors and entrances defied time and went on to become his muse. He pondered about the different worlds and lives that lay beyond these doors. Over the last 20 years, the artist has created more than 900 paintings with just one theme — doors. Doors in luminiscent colours, half open, urging the voyeur inside you!
“I used to cycle past so many houses which had unique doors and I used to find beauty in each one of them. Doors used to fascinate me then as they fascinate me now. Even now when I travel, my eyes are always searching for doors in different countries.” says Santhana. “I was mesmerised and intrigued by the way the light fell on the threshold, the vibrant colours and the intricate carvings. Each door had a myriad tales to narrate,” says Santhana further elucidating his passion for doors.
In this age and time when art has become more complex than ever, Santhana’s colourful canvases are nod to the simplicity of a time gone by. The peeling walls, shoddily pasted advertisements, rusting locks and smeared saffron marks add to their quaint allure.
K.R. Santhana Krishnan’s art is part of many important collections including those of Sachin Tendulkar, Shashi Tharoor, Karan Johar, Amitabh Bachchan, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Mani Ratnam and Kamal Hassan. He has held more than 12 solo shows in India, and has participated in several group exhibitions in Singapore, Germany, Paris, Australia, USA, Hong Kong, Mauritius, UAE, Taiwan, Vietnam and China in the past 20 years.
