Anila Jacob (, born c. 1941) is an Indian

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

associated with the

Madras Art Movement The Madras Art Movement, or The Madras Movement, was a regional art movement that emerged in Madras (now Chennai), South India, from the early 1960s through the 1980s. It is recognized for its efforts to establish a modern Indian artistic identit ...

and Cholamandal Artists' Village.

Early life and education

Anila Jacob was born in

Kottayam Kottayam () is a city in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kottayam has a population of ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

in 1941. Although she initially applied for painting, she was admitted to the sculpture course at the Government College of Arts & Crafts, Madras (now Chennai) by the principal

K. C. S. Paniker Kolozhi Cheerambathur 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 Indian a ...

. She graduated in 1960 with a First Class Diploma in Fine Arts, ranking first. She is married to Jacob Thomas and has two children.

Career

Jacob began her career working with concrete and clay, later creating sculptures in carved wood, such as ''Figure'' (1969). Subsequently, she transitioned to working with welded metals like copper and brass, exemplified by works like ''Fish'' (2008). Her sculptures often draw on abstract themes inspired by the nature, environment, art forms, festivals, and daily life of Kerala. Some works associated with the Madras Movement, including Jacob's, are noted for their linear quality and 'frontality'. She has also worked with granite, particularly during sculptors' camps. Jacob was one of the founding members of the Cholamandal Artists' Village near Chennai in 1966, established under the guidance of K. C. S. Paniker. She was one of the first two women artists, along with Arnawaz Driver (later Arnawaz Vasudev), to purchase land and build a studio within the commune. She also served as treasurer for the Progressive Painters Association. She has participated in numerous exhibitions throughout her career, including the National Exhibition of Art in New Delhi multiple times (1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1976, 1978), Expo '70 in Japan, and shows in Washington D.C. (1963), Dubai (1976, 1980), Prakrit Art Gallery (Chennai, 2009), Durbar Hall Art Centre (Kochi, 2011), and the

National Gallery of Modern Art The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) is the premier art gallery under Ministry of Culture, Government of India. The main museum at Jaipur House in New Delhi was established on 29 March 1954 by the Government of India, with subsequent b ...

(Bengaluru, 2023). She has also participated in several sculptors' camps organized by the

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 ...

and state bodies, leading to installations in public spaces, including a granite sculpture in Connaught Place, New Delhi (circa 1970), and later works at Tippu Sultan Fort, Palakkad, Kozhikode Beach, and Fort Kochi. In 2018, her large sculpture titled "Unity in Diversity", made of copper, bronze, brass, and teakwood, was installed at Terminal 3 of Cochin International Airport. Her work is included in the permanent collection of the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi. Jacob describes her themes as largely abstract, often drawing inspiration from the culture and environment of Kerala, including its nature, traditional art forms, festivals, and daily life. Her sculpture ''Ambience'', for instance, was her interpretation of the Kozhikode beach environment.

Awards

* (1963) Award at the Exhibition of Ceramic Art in Washington D.C. * (1964) Artists Handicraft Association Award in Madras * (1965) National Award from the

, the first woman sculptor to receive this honour * (1968) Madras State Lalit Kala Akademi Award * (1976) Karnataka Chitra Kala Parishath Award from Mysore State * (2011) Padmini Puraskaram from Kerala Lalithakala Akademi * (2018) Raja Ravi Varma Puraskaram The Kerala Lalithakala Akademi has planned a 40-min documentary, ‘Anilam’ to showcase her journey in art.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacob, Anila 1941 births Artists from Kerala 20th-century Indian women sculptors 21st-century Indian women sculptors Lalit Kala Akademi Madras Art Movement