Renowned artist KM Vasudevan Namboothiri passes away at 98

Artist Namboothiri's illustrations helped bring many of the finest characters in Malayalam literature to life. The funeral will be held at 5 pm on Friday at his ancestral house in Naduvattom.

Malappuram: KM Vasudevan Namboothiri (98), popularly known as Artist Namboothiri, who skillfully portrayed the essence of Malayalam and Kerala life through his distinctive artistic style, passed away on Friday at 12.10 am. He was admitted to Kottakal Aster MIMS hospital. His body will be kept for public homage at his house in Naduvattom till 12 am and later at Lalithakala Akademi, Thrissur. He will be cremated at 5 pm on Friday at his ancestral house in Naduvattom.

He was born on September 13, 1925, in Karuvattillam, Ponnani, in the Malappuram district to Parameswaran Namboothiri and Sreedevi Antharjanam. From an early age, he showed a remarkable flair for the arts. He developed his talents by drawing in his backyard's sand.

At the Fine Arts College in Chennai, he continued his painting studies. He developed his painting abilities under the guidance of well-known artists like Roy Chaudhury and KCS Paniker. Namboothiri's illustrations helped bring many of the finest characters in Malayalam literature to life. He served as the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi's president.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed condolence on the passing away of Namboothiri. In his condolence message, CM said that Namboothiri was a gifted artist known for his unique style of narrative painting. His artistic technique beautifully captured the essence of characters from various literary works, leaving a lasting impression on the reader's mind. We remember countless characters from Malayalam literature through his portraits. 

"He was a versatile artist, excelling in multiple disciplines such as drawing, painting, sculpting, and art direction. His demise is an irreplaceable loss to the art world," he added.

Namboothiri received numerous honours, including the coveted Raja Ravi Varma Award, the state award for children's literature, and the state film award for art director for the movie "Utharayanam." His drawings of Kathakali performers attracted admiration and praise. Additionally, he wrote the autobiographical book "Rekhakal."