A Master Who's Still a Student

Narayanankutty K, who once walked the halls of the College of Fine Arts, Thiruvananthapuram, as a student of sculpture, came full circle as he retired last month as the principal of the very institution that shaped his artistic journey.

- PARVANA K B

Born in Malappuram, Narayanankutty formally entered the world of art in 1994, and went on to dedicate his life not only to his own art but also to nurturing generations of young artists as a committed teacher and mentor.

"From a very young age, I knew that art was my way. I was an avid and regular reader of newspapers and an active member of Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad from my school days," he says.

"I used the knowledge I gained from reading the newspapers to design posters, especially for Left parties. The newspapers also enhanced my perception of art and artists. So, I used to collect information about art education and fine arts colleges in Kerala from newspapers. And eventually I joined the College of Fine Arts."

Narayanankutty opted for sculpting as he felt it was a "complete art form", even as he explored the world of paintings as well. "By the time I was in my third year at college, internationally acclaimed artist NN Rimzon and other prominent figures such as Tensing Joseph and Prasanna Kumar joined the sculpture faculty. Interactions with them helped me understand art more deeply."

After completing his education, Narayanankutty joined the Thrissur College of Fine Arts as a lecturer in 2000, and worked there until 2011. As he taught students, he had an "inner call that said there was a lot more to learn".