20 sketches to be created in 20 minutes

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ‘’The trick, you see, is in capturing the character of the person than a mere likeness,’’ says S Radhakrishnan, as his right hand flies over the white foolscap.  In seconds, the gaunt, faintly Christ-like, visage of Fyodor Dostoevsky appears on the paper. Radhakrishnan steps back leisurely to inspect the final product. He appears satisfied. But come Friday, he will not have the luxury of leisure. He has been commissioned by the Russian Cultural Centre in the city to create 20 sketches of the Russian novelist in precisely 20 minutes. ‘’I’ll be using charcoal to do the sketches. For speed, they’re best,’’ says Radhakrishnan, a noted art director who lives in the city.Dostoevsky’s 150th birth anniversary fell in November and the centre had organised a photography exhibition to mark the event. Friday’s function will be a sort of closing ceremony for the observance, according to the centre officials.Radhakrishnan has read many of Dostoevsky’s works, though ‘’not all.’’ This is also the first time Radhakrishnan is attempting something so adventurous. He is planning to do some homework ahead of D-Day as the 20 sketches are supposed to show a different aspect of the writer. ‘’I’m planning to do some sketching on Thursday, something like a revision,’’ he says.Radhakrishnan’s artistic career really took of at age nine, when he won a drawing competition organised by ‘Shankar’s Weekly.’ He entered the glitter of tinsel world in 1971 by designing the posters for the Malayalam action thriller ‘Prathikaram.’ He then moved on to art direction, and has numerous films to his credit.  Friday’s function is scheduled to be held at 12 noon at the Roerich Art Gallery, Russian Cultural Centre, Van Ross Junction.