Iruvan Karunakaran is an Indian artist who paints realistic paintings whose main subject is the Indian countryside. The unpretentious essence of rural India comes alive in his works.

Iruvan’s art is careful yet intricate depictions of scenes of village life, streets, various reminders of village antiquity, people performing rituals or absorbed in the daily routines that are deeply rooted in the villagers’ blood. His realistic works of art, made with a brushstroke, strike you in the same way every time you view them.

“Coming from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, to a village, I enjoy the feeling of the village’s lack of time flow and the tranquility of its people. As a city dweller who has lived in Hyderabad for more than a decade, I am fascinated by the intricate interweaving of the historical and modern, an interesting combination you see in the most iconic places in India. I am particularly inspired by the streets. They come from somewhere and go somewhere else…..

You get the feeling of standing at a point called today, with yesterday behind you and tomorrow ahead of you. People long for the streets and roads…they want to get “somewhere” and “something” to do. The characters in my paintings could be anyone: a man pulling a shopping cart – he’s just coming to terms with the challenges of life… a busy shopkeeper who persists in his goal… a lone motorcycle rickshaw or cyclist… an elderly woman selling flowers and a sleepy dog resting against the noise… the constant movement and change of streets makes people feel alive. Is there any better place to observe life if not in the streets?”

Want to see the real, non-tourist India? Take artist Iruvan Karunakan as your guide and look at India through the loving eyes of a man who was born and raised in this paradoxical country, where poverty and luxury, beauty and ugliness, beautiful nature and urban garbage dumps can peacefully coexist side by side.

The main theme of the works of the world-famous Indian artist Iruvan Karunakaran is his small motherland, small villages and small towns of India. With all possible love he tells about how his compatriots live.

Iruvan’s paintings amaze not only by their realism, but also by their meticulous rendering of mood. Looking at his works, you feel the life of ordinary people, absorbed in the daily grind.
His realistic paintings one wants to look at, they have a lot of details and a real national coloring.

It is not for nothing that critics call Karunakaran a master of detail. His paintings are so realistic that if you look at them intently for a few minutes you have a feeling that you are transported to an Indian village, you hear craftsmen talking, the splash of Ganges water, the roar of cows crossing the road.

Iruvan Karunakaran says there is no better place for him than the street. It is where he draws his inspiration. About how he understands his mission, in an interview with an American journalist, he said, “In each of his paintings, the Motherland is reflected. My mission is to depict India unvarnished, to show it as it really is, as I love it. In the paintings harmoniously intertwined history and modernity. The heroes of the paintings can be anyone: a tired dog lying down to rest in the middle of the street, an elderly Indian woman selling flowers, a teenager leading oxen.