The celebrated illustrator, whose artistic brilliance gave new meanings to eminent literary works, breathed his last early on 7 June.
Artist Namboothiri at work (Twitter)
Karuvattu Mana Vasudevan Namboothiri signed his works merely as Namboothiri, the signature itself a work of art.
The minimalist line sketches of “Artist” Namboothiri, as he was popularly known, gave form and face to innumerable characters that remain etched in the minds of Malayalis.
Be it Bheeman, Draupadi, or Payyan, a majority of Keralites see them through the eyes of a diminutive, bearded figure, who still stands tall in the realm of contemporary art.
Namboothiri, who passed on in the early hours of Friday, 7 July, at the age of 97, gave a different dimension to illustrations, the simple strokes speaking volumes in an artistic language about the seen and those unseen.
Such was his brilliance that the unseen — or left out in deliberate casualness — often made his illustrations complete and sweeter, like unheard melodies.
The characters he sketched displayed emotions like seasoned Kathakali artists sans the heavy paraphernalia, and the voluptuous women figures oozed oodles of positive vibes that touched the viewers with the heaviness of a falling feather.
In 1984, Kerala witnessed the collaboration between two towering figures: MT Vasudevan Nair and Namboothiri.
While MT — as he is popularly known — retold Mahabharata through the eyes of Bheeman, the second among the Pandavas, Namboothiri complemented it with his illustrations, giving a face and breathing life into mythical characters — similar to Raja Ravi Varma, who gave faces to Hindu gods.
Artist Namboothiri. Photo: Supplied
It was like a confluence of two fountains of imagination, two majestic rivers flowing together in tranquility. Kerala waited for the weekly magazine, Kalakaumudi, which serialised MT’s epic, Randaamoozham, to read, see and feel the life of the Pandavas and Kauravas.
The illustrations made MT’s characters more lively as they emerged from the pages of the magazine as if to engage in a conversation with the reader.
A keen observer, Namboothiri detailed the details without going into details, which made his illustrations speak to the viewer. The slender, long fingers of curvaceous women added to the feminine beauty the artist captured in its entirety.
For Randaamoozham, Namboothiri expressed Bheeman in his inimitable style, with a large body and comparatively smaller head, busting the popular conception of mythical characters. He portrayed the protagonist’s complex emotional situations with a squiggle of the eyebrow or a tilt in the gait.
Life was a constant engagement with the major literary works in Malayalam for Namboothiri, who passed away at Kottakkal in Kerala’s Malappuram district.
Namboothiri’s drawings accompanied novels, short stories, and poems of eminent Malayalam writers, which appeared on the pages of magazines like Mathrubhumi, Kalakaumudi, and Samakalika Malayalam.
An illustration by Namboothiri
He immortalised many iconic characters of Malayalam literary geniuses such as SK Pottekkatt, Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, Madhavikutty (Kamala Suraiyya), and VKN (Vadakkke Koottala Narayanankutty Nair).
The writers admired the brilliance of Namboothiri’s drawings, which also played a significant role in popularising their literary works. VKN, the master satirist in Malayalam, even termed Namboothiri as the Lord Paramashiva of sketches.
His works proved that the satirist was not wrong.
Besides being a celebrated line artist who brought to life the rustic, simple lives of ordinary people in Kerala, Namboothiri was an excellent sculptor, who proved his mettle using different mediums, including wood, metal, stone, cement, and clay.
While recalling his troubled childhood at Karuvattu Mana, a joint Namboothiri family at Ponanni in Malappuram, the artist said he began his artistic pursuits by making sketches on the soil by wielding the rib of coconut fronds.
His artistic pursuit gradually graduated to charcoal on the whitewashed walls of his house.
Namboothiri, who presided over a golden era in Malayalam literature, drawings, paintings, and sculpture, was facing old-age-related ailments at a private hospital in Kottakkal when he breathed the last.
Born to Parameswaran Namboothiri and Sridevi Antharjanam on 13 September, 1925, Namboothiri learnt Sanskrit and traditional Ayurveda medicine.
An illustration by Namboothiri
He lacked formal schooling, and he was supposed to follow in the footsteps of his forebears to become a traditional Ayurveda practitioner, if not a temple priest or a traditional cook of the locality. But destiny had something else in store for him.
Krishnan Namboodiri, a friend from the nearby Varikkassery Namboodiri joint family, had joined the Madras School of Arts, and he compelled Namboothiri to study art there under the legendary artist KCS Paniker.
On realising Namboothiri’s artistic brilliance and his poor financial background, Paniker allowed him to directly join the second year of the Applied Art course.
Namboothiri later termed it a double promotion. Back home from Madras (now Chennai), he was forced by eminent Malayalam poet, scholar, and Mathrubhumi weekly’s editor NV Krishna Warrier to join the magazine as an illustrator.
Namboothiri used to say that he was hesitant to accept that offer because of the challenge of meeting the expectations of literary stalwarts of that time.
But senior artist MV Devan, who was already part of Mathrubhumi, encouraged him, and the younger man was soon illustrating the works of Thakazhi, MT, Keshavadev, Uroob, and Madhavikutty.
When asked about his brilliance in drawing, Namboothiri once said images came to him in versatile three dimensions and elements for experiment and exploration.
His initial works carried the minutest details. But gradually, he decided to do away with details. “There is no need to spell out everything. I felt better with fluidity over the years,” he said.
Namboothiri followed the cultural legacy of the land, besides adopting ancient sculptures and relics. And between his artistic sojourns, Namboothiri used to listen to Carnatic music.
Art historians say Namboothiri started recreating the concept of illustrations at a time when readers and art lovers could not think beyond Raja Ravi Varma and the style he had set in the fine arts.
An illustration by Namboothiri
Over the years, he explored many areas of creativity. He worked as an art director with two of the works of the celebrated filmmaker, G Aravindan, Uttarayanam, and Kanchana Seetha. Uttarayanam won him the award for the Best Art Director.
When the Malayala Manorama Group’s literary magazine Bhashaposhini serialised his autobiography, it won critical acclaim as a well-written work involving the best narrative skills and excellent language.
Penguin India brought out its English translation by Gita Krishnankutty in 2019 with the title, Sketches: The Memoir of an Artist. MT wrote its preface.
Namboothiri had also worked as president of Kerala Lalithakala Akademi for a long time. He received several honours, including the Raja Ravi Varma Award instituted by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and the Children’s Literature Award of the State Institute of Children’s Literature.
“While sketching characters, I’ve often felt that they must be people I’ve met and known. We meet so many people every day who influence us. So this was a natural progression,” Namboothiri once said.
“Although, while re-imagining characters in Randamoozham, I had to think through them. Even Vasudevan Nair attempted to humanise his protagonists; they had to look more than human,” he added.
Namboothiri drew inspiration from the Chola and Pallava sculptures, apart from those in Ajanta and Ellora. VKN, on numerous occasions, said he was fascinated by the women Namboothiri created. They held a rare charm.
An illustration by Namboothiri
Namboothiri did illustrations for several Bengali classics translated into Malayalam. But he used to say his connection with Bengal was infinite, and it started with DP Roy Chowdhury, the first Indian principal of the Madras School of Arts.
The other major influence on him was KCS Paniker, who encouraged him to explore, experiment, and showcase his talents while in Madras. Both encouraged him to approach life beyond geographical borders through whatever the available mediums.
By doing illustrations for the Malayalam translations of Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray, Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Mahasweta Devi, and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Namboothiri used to say that he knew more about Bengal than Bengalis.
Till his death, Namboothiri was humility personified. His doors were open even to strangers who normally disrupted his creative moments by initiating unwanted conversations. But even in such circumstances, he remained a patient listener.
“Namboothiri had an inclusive mind, encompassing the vibrancy of Kerala’s social life. He never went behind awards and recognitions and remained silent even though promised opportunities were denied. He never quarrelled with fellow artists and writers who were often known for their insensitivity,” writer and literary critic MN Karassery said.
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