Artist honoured with Shilp Guru award
The Hindu
V. Panneerselvam has been specialising in Thanjavur painting since 1985
A virtuoso artist in the Thanjavur painting style from Kumbakonam has made Tamil Nadu proud by winning the ‘Shilp Guru’ award for 2019. He is one of 30 skilled craftsmen throughout India to have been chosen for the honour.
V. Panneerselvam, 59, received the award from Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar at a ceremony in Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, on November 29. The occasion also saw the presentation of 78 National Awards to masters of traditional crafts.
“It is a great honour to receive this award, as it focuses on a vintage craft from our State. I hope it will encourage more people to keep Thanjavur painting alive,” Mr. Paneerselvam told The Hindu.
The Shilp Guru award carries a cash prize of ₹2 lakh, a gold coin and a ‘Tamrapatra’ citation.
The ornate Thanjavur painting is a melange of drawing styles from Mysore, East India Company and folk arts and traces its history to the Maratha dynasty which ruled Thanjavur from 1676 to 1855. Subjects are usually stylised representations of Hindu deities. Gold foil is overlaid on gesso work and vivid colours are used to create the painting.
Originally from Innambur village, Mr. Panneerselvam took up art to make ends meet. “I was unable to study beyond Class 3, so I apprenticed under local artist Ravi in Kumbakonam, who trained me in Thanjavur painting. I have been in this field since 1985, and have tried to preserve the purity of the art form as much as possible,” he said.
For the award ceremony, he created a massive circular artwork featuring ‘Vishnu-Durgai Varalaru’ on one side and Lord Vinayaga’s avatars on the other, using up to ₹60,000 worth of gold foil.
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