Namboothiri (artist)
Encyclopedia
K. M. Vasudevan Namboothiri, better known as Artist Namboothiri, is a well-known painter
and sculptor from the state of Kerala
, India
. He is the winner of the Raja Ravi Varma
Award for the year 2003. He is famous for his own style of "Line sketches or Rekhachithrangal".
. He was a disciple of renowned artist K. C. S. Paniker. He also drew inspiration from renowned painters like Mr. Roy Choudhari and Mr. Dhanapal. He studied painting in the Madras School of Fine Arts.
, a leading Malayalam publication. He has also done illustrations for several leading authors in Malayalam like Thakazhy Shivasankara Pillai
, Kesavadev
, M. T. Vasudevan Nair
, Uroob
, S. K. Pottekkatt
and V.K.N. He is also a proponent of "finger painting". He also does copper sheet relief work. Mr. Namboothiri has never placed his paintings for sale, except while he was a student in Madras.
He has been the chairman of the Kerala Lalitakala Academy
for more than one term. During his tenure as the Chairman of Kerala Lalithakala Academy, Mr. Namboothiri took upon himself the task of setting up an own building for the centre in Thrissur
, which till then was working from rented space. He was also the key figure behind the conversion of the Durbar Hall
in Kochi into an art gallery.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and sculptor from the state of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He is the winner of the Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma was an Indian painter from the princely state of Travancore who achieved recognition for his depiction of scenes from the epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana...
Award for the year 2003. He is famous for his own style of "Line sketches or Rekhachithrangal".
Early Life
Artist Namboothiri was born at Karuvattu Mana of PonnaniPonnani
Ponnani/Ponani is an ancient port, a coastal town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 9.32 km2. Ponnani taluk is the smallest Taluk in Malappuram district. This tiny, picturesque town is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west...
. He was a disciple of renowned artist K. C. S. Paniker. He also drew inspiration from renowned painters like Mr. Roy Choudhari and Mr. Dhanapal. He studied painting in the Madras School of Fine Arts.
Art Career
Artist Namboothiri has made some of the illustrations done for characters that appeared in literary publications in Kerala, very popular among Malayalee readers. His cartoon series "Naniyammayum Lokavum" in Mathrubhumi was extremely popular. He has worked for MathrubhumiMathrubhumi
Mathrubhumi is a Malayalam language newspaper that is published from Kerala, India. Mathrubhumi was founded by K. P. Kesava Menon, an active volunteer in the Indian freedom struggle against the British.-History:...
, a leading Malayalam publication. He has also done illustrations for several leading authors in Malayalam like Thakazhy Shivasankara Pillai
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai was a novelist and short story writer of Malayalam language, spoken in Kerala state, South India. He is popularly known as Thakazhi, after his place of birth. He focused on the oppressed classes as the subject of his works, which are known for their attention to...
, Kesavadev
Kesavadev
P. Kesava Pillai , better known by his pen-name P. Kesavadev, was a novelist and social reformer of Kerala state, South India...
, M. T. Vasudevan Nair
M. T. Vasudevan Nair
Madathil Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair , popularly known as MT, is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He was born in Kudallur, a small village in the present day Palakkad District, which was under the Malabar District in the Madras Presidency of the British Raj...
, Uroob
Uroob
Uroob was a famous Malayalam writer from Kerala state, South India. He along with writers like Basheer, Thakazhi, Kesavadev, and Pottekkatt formed the progressive writers in Malayalam during the twentieth century. Uroob is a recipient of Kendra Sahithya Academy Award for his novel Sundarikalum...
, S. K. Pottekkatt
S. K. Pottekkatt
Sankaran Kutty Pottekkatt , popularly known as S. K. Pottekkatt, was a famous Malayalam writer from Kerala state, South India...
and V.K.N. He is also a proponent of "finger painting". He also does copper sheet relief work. Mr. Namboothiri has never placed his paintings for sale, except while he was a student in Madras.
He has been the chairman of the Kerala Lalitakala Academy
Kerala Lalitakala Academy
Kerala Lalit Kala Akademi or Kerala Academy for Fine Arts is an autonomous body which was established in 1962 to promote art and artistic heritage, based at Thrissur in Kerala.Though the Kerala Government provides funding and support for the academy, the administration of the academy is designed to...
for more than one term. During his tenure as the Chairman of Kerala Lalithakala Academy, Mr. Namboothiri took upon himself the task of setting up an own building for the centre in Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
, which till then was working from rented space. He was also the key figure behind the conversion of the Durbar Hall
Durbar Hall Ground
The Durbar Hall Ground is a popular location for various cultural activities in the coastal city of Kochi, Kerala, India. The compound of the ground also has the Durbar Hall, which now functions mostly as an art gallery...
in Kochi into an art gallery.
Honours
- Raja Ravi Varma award in 2003
- State Award for the Best Art Direction for the Malayalam film Utharayanam in 1974
- Kerala State Institute of Children's Literature Bala Sahitya Award for best illustration for his work in Kuttikalude Ramayanam (RamayanaRamayanaThe Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
for children) in 2004