Akkitham Narayanan (born 1939) is a Paris-based Indian painter from

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South C ...

. A student of such artists as

K. C. S. Paniker Kovalezhi Cheeramputhoor Sankara Paniker (31 May 1911 – 16 January 1977) was an Indian metaphysical and abstract painter from Malabar District. He interpreted the country's age-old metaphysical and spiritual knowledge in the 1960s, when India ...

D. P. Roy Choudhury Devi Prasad Roy Choudhury MBE (15 June 1899 – 15 October 1975) was an Indian sculptor, painter and educator. He is well known for his monumental bronze sculptures, especially the ''Triumph of Labour'' and the ''Martyrs' Memorial'', and is rate ...

and Jean Bertholle, Narayanan's paintings are on display at various museums and galleries in many countries such as India, France, Japan, Poland and Germany. He is a three time recipient of the Tamil Nadu State

Lalit Kala Akademi The Lalit Kala Akademi or National Academy of Art (LKA) is India's national academy of fine arts. It is an autonomous organisation, established in New Delhi in 1954 by Government of India to promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, in ...

Award, Raja Ravi Varma Award of the

Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Kerala Lalithakala Academy for Fine Arts is an autonomous body which was established in 1962 to promote art and artistic heritage, based at Thrissur in Kerala. Murali Cheeroth is the newly appointed chairman of Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi on 2022 ...

and the

Cagnes-sur-Mer Cagnes-sur-Mer (, literally ''Cagnes on Sea''; oc, Canha de Mar) is a French Riviera town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography Cagnes-sur-Mer is a town in south-eastern ...

International Festival of Painting Award.

Biography

Akkitham Narayanan was born in 1939 at Amettikkara, near Kumaranallur in Palakkad district of the south Indian state of

to Akkithathu Manayil Vasudevan Namboothiri and Checkur Manaykkal Parvathy Antharjanam. In 1956, he joined the

Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai The Government College of Fine Arts (initially known as the Madras School of Art) in Chennai is the oldest art institution in India. The institution was established in 1850 by surgeon Alexander Hunter as a private art school. In 1852, after bei ...

from where he secured a diploma in 1961 and, on receiving a Government of India scholarship, he did advanced studies until 1964. His days at the Government College of Fine Arts gave him the opportunity to come in contact with

, the then principal and

, who was the vice principal of the institution, and Narayanan was also involved with Paniker's efforts to found

Cholamandal Artists' Village Cholamandal Artists' Village is an artists' commune in Chennai, India. Established in 1966, it is the largest artists' commune in India. The community is located in the southern coastal neighborhood of Injambakkam. Its artists are credited for ...

in 1966. In between, he worked at

Ethiraj College for Women Ethiraj College for Women is an arts and science college for women in Chennai, India, managed by the Ethiraj College Trust. It was founded in 1948 by the barrister V. L. Ethiraj of Vellore. History Ethiraj College for Women is an autonomous co ...

for a short while, as a teacher of batik painting. He received another scholarship, this time from the Government of France, which assisted him to move to Paris to study at

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centur ...

, where he studied until 1970; at the institution, he studied monumental art under Jean Bertholle and engraving under Lucien Couteau. Subsequently, he settled in Paris where lives.

Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri (18 March 1926 – 15 October 2020), popularly known as Akkitham, was an Indian poet and essayist who wrote in Malayalam. He was known for a simple and lucid style of writing, exploring themes of profound love and ...

, noted Malayalam poet, is Narayanan's elder brother.

Awards

Narayanan received the state award of the

, Chennai, in 1963 and twice more in 1965 and in 1966. In between, he received the Association of Young Painters & Sculptors Award, sponsored by the Akademi in 1965 and in 1972, he received an award at 4th International Painting Festival, Cagnes-sur_Mer.

awarded him the K. C. S. Paniker Puraskaram in 2009. The Akademi honoured him again with the Raja Ravi Varma Award to Narayanan in 2017. The Akademi has also produced a 27-minute documentary film on the life of the artist, which was directed by K. N. Shaji.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Narayanan, Akkitham Living people 1939 births Painters from Kerala 20th-century Indian painters Indian male painters People from Palakkad district Malayali people Artists from Kerala Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai alumni Indian contemporary painters Indian expatriates in France 20th-century Indian male artists 21st-century Indian male artists