G D Arulraj - Studio 1967

I have just been contacted by David who shared a studio with Arul for a while in 1967, he has found a photograph of Arul standing in his half of the studio in front of a selection of paintings by both Arul and his brother Paulraj.

In the foreground on the table can be seen copies of the book called "From INDIA paintings by Arul Raj" which was published by Walter T Foster.  Still available to buy from Ebay today.

Even more incredible is that I own the centre painting resting on the floor, which is a Paulraj painting.  I purchased four paintings in 2009 from California from Ebay.  The other two are by Arul.  My wife has also recognised the painting leaning against the sidewall on the floor.  We also own that one and it is painted by Paulraj's wife Pankajam Paulraj.  I have added copies of the two paintings in the past but have added them again today so viewers can compare.  It has helped date both paintings to around 1967.

And below is the one by Pankajam Paulraj as well.

This makes me think of the theory "Six degrees of separation" which says that Six degrees of separation is the theory that everyone and everything is six or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world, so that a chain of "a friend of a friend" statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps.

My thanks to David for agreeing that I can add his photo of Arul in the studio and for information on Arul that he has given me.

From INDIA Paintings by Arul Raj - How to Paint Book

I just remembered that a year or two back I purchased an older how to paint book written by Arul Raj.  The cover price was only $1.00 (the one below shows $2.00) and it was published by a USA firm called Walter T Foster.  I have reproduced the cover below.

In the introduction by Walter Foster he says. "While Gideon D Arul Raj was in the United States I was fortunate to meet him when he had the time to work on his book and I feel he has done a beautiful job of giving us all an understanding of how he works and the step drawings that are so helpful to beginners as well as the professional artist.  Raj lives in the Southern part of India out of Madras and he has caught the feel of the rural part of the country.  India is a fascinating country and I hope to go through there again with a much longer stay and many side trips into the hinterland to sketch and take many more color shots...."


Copies of the book frequently appear on Ebay in the USA and sell for a modest price, the book shows how to paint like Arul and the palette of colors he used.  Unfortunately the book is not dated so I am unsure when it was published as it seems at this time Arul was still living in Madras, India.  I know he later went to the USA and lived in Laguna Beach in California.