The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Artist Santhanaraj dead

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Tuesday, May 26, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Artist Santhanaraj dead

Special Correspondent

TAMBARAM: A.P.Santhanaraj, eminent artist and former Principal of the Government College of Fine Arts, Egmore, passed away at his home in M.C.Nagar, Chitlapakkam, near Tambaram, on Sunday. He was 77 and is survived by four sons, according to his former students.

He was suffering from a health problem for some time. The body was laid to rest at a cemetery in Pallavaram on Monday evening in the presence of a gathering of his friends, well wishers, admirers and former students.

Speaking to The Hindu, they said Santhanaraj’s contribution to modern painting was immense.

“He was one of the pioneers and forerunners of the modern art movement in the country,” said Rm.Palaniappan, regional secretary, Lalit Kala Akademi, Chennai. He said that even M.F.Hussain had gone on record to state that Santhanaraj was one of his favourite artists.

Apart from serving at the Fine Arts College in Egmore, he also headed government arts institutions in Kumbakonam and Thiruvananthapuram, Mr.Palaniappan said.

A handout from his former students stated that Santhanaraj was born in 1932 in Tiruvannamalai. His lines were so distinct and even on a small scale, they would stand apart so uniquely different from the works by other artists. His death was a colossal loss to the world of art, creating a void that could never ever be filled.

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