Artist's paintings of deities win fans

A Durban artist's colourful and striking paintings of Hindu deities may be selling like hot cakes but for the youngster it's simply about what draws him closer to God.

Vishal Mothilall, 23, is passionate about painting. However, he uses his gift to paint only Hindu deities or Indian cultural dancers.

The talented Chatsworth artist, who is also an architect at a Durban firm, has painted several oil and acrylic paintings of the Hindu deities Krishna, Luxmi, Saraswathie, Radha, Shiva and Ganesha, which have been snapped up by local buyers.

Using Hindu scriptures as a guideline and inspiration for physical attributes and clothing, Mothilall's paintings are detailed and contain rich and vibrant colours. It's no surprise then that art lovers and Hindu devotees are keen to buy his works.

The self-taught artist began sketching when he was four years old, after drawing an image of the Hindu god Ganesha.

He picked up painting at the age of eight, but stopped for a while. Then, while at university, he began painting more "seriously".

"I have no formal training in art and have never taken a course. So my work is me just experimenting."

Three years ago Mothilall held his first exhibition, putting 10 of his paintings on show. He collaborated with a Kathak dancer, fusing canvas and dance.

He has so far held other exhibitions, where he has sold more than 10 of his paintings. They sell for anything over R1000.

Last week he exhibited a few of his works at a local dance recital. The paintings caught the eye of Lesley Jacob, the director of the Indian Cultural Centre at the Consulate General of India, who said she was interested in hosting an exhibition.

Mothilall said when he painted Hindu deities, he felt "fulfilled".

"People have asked me why I don't paint family portraits. I feel that art is a sadhana, which is a spiritual practice, and that evolves you and takes you one step closer towards God.

"I have tried painting animals but there is nothing that comes close to this.

"I definitely feel closer to God by doing this. The first sketch that I did was a Ganesha and since then I have stuck to painting similar images. There is no other feeling that comes close to doing this."

His favourite deity is Krishna. He said: "For some reason I am happy when I paint him. I love painting him and I can paint him all the time."

A highlight of selling his paintings is knowing that his work is appreciated.

"A person who buys a particular piece is obviously attracted to that deity. When I see my paintings on other people's walls it's great because I know the painting is being worshipped. It's something sacred. You can't describe the feeling."

One of his favourites, which Mothilall is reluctant to sell, is an oil painting of Radha and Krishna in a garden, which he reproduced from another artist.

"The painting depicts Radha going to a river to collect water. It's a love story and what this image shows is a look that Radha gives him, almost like she is saying 'what you see you really can't have'.

"There are different stories that are involved and I am trying to capture that in some of my paintings."

Mothilall said he shied away from requests because it narrowed his scope to paint, adding that painting emerged the "best" when he was inspired.

He said even though his artwork was according to scripture and conventional Hindu deity portraits, he took liberties by painting Luxmi in soft colours as opposed to the strong reds in which the Hindu goddess is usually depicted.

"With that painting, I broke away from the norm and created something more peaceful and tranquil," he said.