Namboothiri (artist) Biography 
K. M. Vasudevan Namboothiri, better known as Artist Namboothiri is an eminent painter and sculptor from Kerala. He has also done art direction for a few Malayalam movies. His own style of line sketches, called Rekhachitrangal in Malayalam made him a popular artist from Kerala. His cartoon series "Naniyammayum Lokavum" in Mathrubhumi is also very popular. He received Kerala State Award for the Best Art Direction for the Malayalam film Uttarayanam, directed by G. Aravindan in 1974. He is regarded as a proponent of "finger painting".
He was born in Ponnani Taluk, Malappuram District in the state of Kerala. He was born in Karuvattu Mana in a Namboothiri family in 1925. Since childhood he expressed him passion in art and paintings. He was drawn towards the temple sculptures of Shukapuram temple of his hometown. From that day on, he desired to draw and mould sculptures and later became a disciple of renowned artist K. C. S. Paniker. He also studied painting from Madras School of Fine Arts. He was deeply influenced by the works of great artists - Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhury and S. Dhanapal.
He started drawing illustrations for many leading magazines of Kerala. He also did illustrations for many leading writers of 20th century. He is a recipient of Raja Ravi Varma award in 2003. ‘Namboodiri: Varayude Kulapathy’ is a documentary film made on his life. Finger painting and Copper shield works to mould mythological figures are also his contributions to Kerala art. He has formerly served as the chairman of the Kerala Lalitakala Academy and also known for his efforts to convert Durbar Hall in Kochi into an art gallery.
Published: N/A
Updated: June 30, 2014
