Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Portrait artist gets a helping hand from the Government

Thiruvananthapuram: Portrait artist N. Radhakrishnan is elated. Early this month, the government sanctioned five cents of land at Mulavana, Kollam on lease to Mr. Radhakrishnan. The artist, who has over 10,000 works to his credit, plans to establish a fine arts study centre to promote budding artists.

Mr. Radhakrishnan’s range of subjects spans celebrities including actors, politicians and social and cultural leaders.

His portrait of Indira Gandhi has found a place at the AICC office in New Delhi. K. Karunakaran, E.K. Nayanar, Vayalar Ravi and Kamala Suraiyya have all been the beneficiaries of his talent. He has also done portraits of a host of actors like Sathyan, Prem Nazir and Mohanlal.

The artist usually hands over the original to his subject and is content with keeping a copy for himself. He claims that he never draws anything from imagination. Mr. Radhakrishnan recently presented Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan with a portrait.

A native of Bharanikavu in Kollam district, he honed his skills at the Anayadi arts college where he studied fine arts.

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