Vijayakumar Menon (3 May 1946 – 1 November 2022) was an Indian art critic, writer, translator and art teacher 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 ...

. He was a winner of several awards including the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Award for best book on art, Kerala Sahitya Akademi's endowment for scholarly literature, Kesari Puraskaram, and Gurudarsanam Award. Vijayakumar Menon was born as the son of Chettakkal Madhom Karthyayini Amma and Ananthan Pillai from Elamakkara,

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation ...

. After graduation from Kalady Sree Sankara College, he joined FACT in 1966. After about 18 years of service, he resigned from FACT and joined

Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, formerly Baroda College, is a public university in the city of Vadodara, in Gujarat state, India. Originally established as a college in 1881, it became a university in 1949 after the independence of ...

to pursue studies in art and art history and secured a M A degree in Art History. Later, he worked as an art teacher at Mysore College of Visual Arts,

RLV College of Music and Fine Arts Radha Lakshmi Vilasam "RLV" College of Music and Fine Arts is an academic institution situated in Thripunithura, Kochi in the state of Kerala, India. It is affiliated to the Mahatma Gandhi University and offers graduate and postgraduate course ...

Tripunithura Thrippunithura or Tripunithura (), is a prominent historical and residential region in the City of Kochi in Kerala, India. Located about 7 km (4 mi) from the city centre, Tripunithura was the capital of the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin ...

Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit The Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) is a Sanskrit university in India established in 1993 in Kalady, Kerala. It provides education in Sanskrit, other Indian and Foreign languages, Social science and fine arts. It is accredited ...

College of Fine Arts, Thrissur Government College of Fine Arts, Thrissur is located in the heart of the city of Thrissur in Kerala state of India. More than hundred years of existence has given a unique character to this institution in the history of art institutions in In ...

, and

Guruvayur Guruvayur () is a municipal temple town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city, located from Thrissur towards the north-west. It houses the Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple. It is located at ...

Institute of

Mural painting A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

s. Menon was unmarried and had been living in Jnana Ashram in Vyasagiri,

Wadakkancherry Wadakkancherry is a major town in Thrissur, Kerala. Up until 1860, this area was part of Chelakkara Taluk. Now, it is the headquarters of Talappilly Taluk. Wadakkanchery obtained municipality status from the government by merging with the M ...

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and ...

and Vyasa Tapovanam since 1989. Menon died on 1 November 2022, at the age of 76.

Books authored by Vijayakumar Menon

The books on art and art history authored by Vijayakumar Menon include: *''Bharathiya Kala Charitram (History of Indian Art)'', Kerala Sahitya Akademi, 2011 *''Bharathiya Lavanya Darsanavum Kala Parasparyavum'' *''Kerala Kala Samskaram'',

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 ...

, 2021 *''Adhunika Kaladarsanam'' *''Ravivarma Padanam'' *''Bharathiya Chitrakala-Irupatham Noottandil'', D C Books, 2021 *''Authenticating Objectivity: Paintings of Dr A R Poduval'', Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, 2010 *''Chitrakala: Charihravum Riithikalum'', 2007 *''A brief survey of the art scenario of Kerala'', 2007 *''Puzhhayude Nattariv'', D C Books, 2008 *''Kanayi Kunhiraman'', 2008 *''K. Madhavamenon : Prakrithi, Lavanyam, Dharsanam'', Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, 2012 *''Sthalam, Kaalam Kala'', 2006 Vijayakumar Menon translated into Malayalam several plays by western playwrights. These include: *

The Chairs ''The Chairs'' (french: Les Chaises) is a one-act play by Eugène Ionesco, described as an absurdist "tragic farce". It was first performed in Paris in 1952. Setting A high tower surrounded by water. Characters *Old Man, aged 95 *Old Woman, ag ...

by French dramatist Eugène Ionesco *

Blood Wedding ''Blood Wedding'' ( es, link=no, Bodas de sangre) is a tragedy by Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. It was written in 1932 and first performed at Teatro Beatriz in Madrid in March 1933, then later that year in Buenos Aires, Argentina. ...

by Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca *

The Maids ''The Maids'' (french: Les Bonnes, links=no) is a 1947 play by the French dramatist Jean Genet. It was first performed at the Théâtre de l'Athénée in Paris in a production that opened on 17 April 1947, which Louis Jouvet directed. The pla ...

by the French dramatist Jean Genet

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, Vijayakumar 1940s births 2022 deaths Indian art critics Indian art educators People from Kerala