THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It’s a story about an ordinary mortal’s grief, one who has experienced the hurt of being cast away. It seeks to convey the pain of the ones ignored. It’s about the common man!” was the short brief that M T Vasudevan Nair shared about ‘Randamoozham.’ Nevertheless, it was more than adequate for ‘Artist’ Namboothiri to sketch the protagonist with a few deft strokes.
A humanist to the core, his greatest gift was the ability to probe within. He could hence easily bring to life MT’s Bheeman and VKN’s Payyans, imparting them with a humane yet divine aura, as appreciated by scores of literary lovers. It is said that no writer ever briefed him about how their characters should be portrayed in his sketches. Not that he would have accommodated their input! The concept was wholly his. Once Namboothiri familiarised himself with the storyline, he was said to be in the habit of lying down for some time. In the next few minutes, the characters, with all their diverse traits, would begin to shape themselves in his mind.
The term ‘Artist Namboothiri’ is almost synonymous with Karuvattu Manakkal Vasudevan Namboothiri, a creative genius who truly deserved the title in all its varied and subtle hues. Over the years, the title was transformed into an almost surname-like cult status for Namboothiri.
Armed with an exceptional grasp over different mediums, be it clay, wood, metal or canvas, he wrought magic through his artistic lines.
Perhaps a lesser-known aspect about him was his deep passion and in-depth grasp of Carnatic music. Namboothiri drew his creative energy from his deep love for music. The brilliance of his longish, flowy sketches that have immortalised many a character in Malayalam literature sprang from his in-depth bond with the ragas.
Music coursed through his artistic veins, empowering him to explore its profound depths through the curve of a line here, an expansion of a curve there, thereby making his canvas come alive with a host of characters. His line sketches reflected his all-time favourite Chembai, who effortlessly coursed through high-pitched musical notes of many complex Carnatic compositions, as well as the deeply moving kirtans of Semmangudi.
Intrinsically philosophical by nature, Namboothiri firmly believed that an empty canvas carried within itself a pensive and solitary melancholy. Artist Namboothiri has, however, bid his final adieu, leaving behind an empty canvas.
Artist Namboothiri was a gifted individual with a unique painting style. His technique was to permanently imprint the characters from numerous literary works in the minds of the readers. Through his pictures, we are able to recognise and recall numerous personalities from Malayalam literature. He was also a multi-talented artist with a special place in the hearts of people of all ages. His death has left the world of art with an irreplaceable loss
— Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister
Deeply saddened by the death of artist Namboothiri. His paintings and sculptures brought life to our history and rekindled our connection with it. Condolences to his family and loved ones. Om Shanti
— Amit Shah, Union Home Minister
Heartfelt condolences on the sad demise of #ArtistNamboothiri, famed for line art & copper relief work. Readers cherish his drawings that lent life to many characters in Malayalam. May his soul attain Mukti
— Arif Mohammed Khan, Kerala Governor
It is a very painful day. Artist Namboothiri Sir, the legendary painter who can be described as having the gift of drawing, has passed away. I had a close relationship with a brother-like artist for many years. I cherish a lot of the paintings that the great artist gave to me, notably the amazing Soundarya Lahari picture that took him five years to complete and was given to me. My lovely Namboothiri sir stood by my side like a brother with kind words and compassionate actions. Tearful tributes to his passing away
— Mohanlal, actor
My deepest condolences on the demise of Artist Namboothiri whose canvas gave life to innumerable masterpieces. His work was a statement in itself. We may not see another maestro of his level anytime soon
— Ramesh Chennithala, Congress leader
I asked him if the female figures in Namboothiri paintings were overly feminine, and Namboothiri responded with a smile that many people say so. The women in Namboothiri’s works had a strong sense of self and confidence. We bid adieu to artist Namboothiri, who amazed us with his talent and
knowledge
— Veena George, Health Minister
A true artist who inspired a generation
A true artist is one who inspires others and Artist Namboothiri belonged to that rare genre of artists with golden fingers. When the legendary abstract painter K C S Paniker started Cholamandal Artists’ Village, Namboothiri was also part of the team. He had developed a distinct style of abstract illustrations.
He was a master of art and his style was inspired by ancient sculptures.
Though many artists in the present generation tried to follow his school of line sketches, nobody could achieve his perfection.
He used to visit Cholamandal regularly and we used to have very indulging discussions on art and culture. Writers wanted his illustrations which inspired more depth to the literary works and readers loved it.
He inspired a new school of art appreciation in Malayalam literature which will stay for generations.
Lines that breathed life into characters
Visual forms of different varieties always filled the world of Artist Namboothiri, who was a remarkable figure in the relatively poor visual culture of Kerala. He didn’t think about anything other than forms. I don’t remember Namboothiri’s presence in the cultural gatherings in Kozhikode that seriously discussed literature.
Namboothiri told me that he didn’t read newspapers because he did not want to be disturbed by the narrations of tragedies that fill the pages. He may chance upon a meeting at Town Hall, but he would pay no attention to what is discussed there. Namboothiri will be wandering here and there, totally immersed in himself. But as an artist, he was totally committed when it comes to painting, sculpture, and illustration.
He will concentrate on every minute detail of the subject he was handling. I remember his illustrations for the novel ‘Smaraka Silakal’ by Punathil Kunhabdulla. In Namboothiri’s drawings, no one was seen touching the character of Attakoya Thangal even if he is among the crowd because the figure of Thangal was a kind of feudal lord who created terror and awe in the novel.
There is something enchanting about the female figures in Namboothiri’s world. You feel like looking at them for hours. He did a Muslim female figure for my first book on the works of Pulikkottil Hyder.
Master strokes that portrayed finer details
Artist Namboothiri was like a guru for me. I have been fascinated by his drawings since my childhood. I got the opportunity to meet him during my days at Kala Kaumudi. At that time, bank employees’ planned an exhibition. They sought my participation in organising the event. I met Namboothiri for the first time when he came to inaugurate it. Namboothiri used to work for Kala Kaumudi and on a few occasions he had offered some suggestions on my work.
I always had great love, respect and admiration for him. We did not meet often but it was nice whenever it happened. In 2012, I conducted my first calligraphy exhibition. I had only one name in my mind to inaugurate it. Namboothiri gladly came there and inaugurated the exhibition. He also presented me with a caricature of mine drawn on the spot. Later I met him at different places occasionally. He had invited me to his documentary screening in Ernakulam and exhibitions in Thiruvananthapuram.
I was with him until 6 pm at Kottakkal Hospital on Thursday. Devan informed me about the death when I reached back home.
I have great respect for Namboothiri’s talent and character. Perhaps his greatest skill was to draw a picture of anyone from his memory. We will be surprised to see finer details of the person in the picture like the body proportion or even a mark on the face. I’ve seen this quality in any other artist.
He scripted poetry through his sketches
His drawings were sublime and the ideas of his vigorous sketches were passionate. Artist Namboothiri inspired a separate stream of illustrations through his line sketches. His ideas were spontaneous and inspired by ancient sculptures. Those line sketches were poetic, very distinctive and sensitive. However, Namboothiri didn’t get the recognition he deserved. He would have been a celebrity if he was born elsewhere.
The news about his death came as a big shock to me. We were close friends and used to meet regularly. He had unique ideas and was so cool and composed. Namboothiri was never ambitious and drew satisfaction in his creative work.
When we remember him we should not forget artist M V Devan because, without Devan, Namboothiri would have gone into oblivion. Devan was the one who gave a serious approach to illustration in Malayalam literature. After completing his fine arts course in Madras, Namboothiri returned to Kerala and approached Devan seeking his help to find a regular income. Devan resigned from his job in ‘Mathrubhumi’ and recommended Namboothiri for the post. Nobody would have done that. Rest is history.
We are fortunate to have a generation of gifted artists like Namboothiri and we will be known by these artists in future. Namboothiri will live for generations through his illustrations of epic characters.
We miss you, dear pony-tailed man
Karuvatta Mana Vasudevan Namboothiri is a name Malayali readers and writers, magazines and newspapers of Kerala owe so much to. Widely known as artist Namboothiri and Devan’s beloved father, he was a master of poetic illustrations and drawings. The pony-tailed artist was a friend of all writers and readers of Malayalam; an illustrator, painter, muralist, sculptor, art director and lover of all things cultural.
I have always been a huge admirer and fan of Namboothiri. I was so enamoured by his incredible skill and brevity—tuned line sketches of anything and everything. He was an excellent reader of the historicity of characters and time, with which he marvelled at the pages in Kerala weeklies. His writing colleagues and friends like M T Vasudevan Nair, VKN, and Thakazhi Shivashankara Pillai’s short stories and novels carried exceptional illustrations, and one of my all-time favourites is MT’s ‘randaamoozham’. Bhima and other Mahabharata characters reinterpreted by MT were also an exceptional treat to readers.
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(With inputs from Cholamandal P Gopinath, MN Karassery, Artist Bhattathiri, Kanayi Kunhiraman, Bose Krishnamachari)