Jeeva (artist)
Encyclopedia
V. Jeevananthan popularly known as Oviyar Jeeva (lit. Artist Jeeva) is a Tamil
painter, film critic, art designer and writer from Tamil Nadu
, India
.
during 1950’s, 60s and 70’s in the Coimbatore
area and the proprietor of Cine Arts (est. 1954). Jeevananthan started his education in English medium and Hindi as his second language. He did his schooling from Kikani Higher Secondary School, Coimbatore. He obtained a bachelors degree in political science from Government Arts College, Coimbatore and his post graduate degree at Presidency College
, Chennai. He also has a law degree from Coimbatore Law College
. In addition to this, he has also completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Productivity Management (PGDPM) from Coimbatore Productivity Council. Jeevanantham does not have any formal art education. He learnt modern art painting from artist Prakash Chandra, the founder of Chitrakala (Painting) academy, Coimbatore. He is married to Thamizharasi and have two children - Anand and Meena. His brother V. Manikandan
is an acclaimed cinematographer.
Since 1978, he has been exhibiting his works at Chithrakala Academy’s Annual Art Exhibition in Coimbatore, Chennai
and Bengaluru. His painting collections are displayed at Valluvar Kottam
, Chennai. He was one of the 133 painters from all over India to paint Kural Oviyams (lit. Paintings on Tirukkural
) exhibited since 2000, with the unveiling of Valluvar Statue at Kanyakumari
. He has also painted banners and posters for 20 dramas for the theatre group Schauspielhaus Zürich
at Zurich
, Switzerland
. In 2009, he exhibited his paintings on communist leader P. Jeevanandham as part of Jeevanandham's centenary celebrations. He has done Illustrations for Ajantha Ellora
documentaries produced jointly by Japan and Maharashtra governments and directed by R. Ramkumar, of Vikram Studios. He is also an illustrator for short stories in Tamil Magazine Vaarththai, Om Sakthi, Veedu (Canada), Uyirmai etc. He designed Book wrappers for most of Tamil writer Naanjil Naadan’s Novels.
Jeevanantham is also a noted film reviewer and critic. In the 1980s, he wrote film reviews for the Tamil magazine Kalki
as a student journalist. He has worked as illustrator for literary magazines besides designing covers for novels. He was also a student artist in Dhisaigal a youth magazine edited by Maalan during 80s. Jeeva delivers lectures and demonstrations on portraits in most of the colleges in and around Coimbatore as a part of Fine Arts club activities. He is an active member of Sunday art classes since 1979 for students. During 2008-09, Jeeva taught monthly art classes to inmates of central prison, Coimbatore.
category of the National Film Awards
, 2011, that were announced in Delhi on 19 May 2011. The citation he received says "This book is a sincere attempt to analyze important developments in Tamil film. It also provides an insight into the classics of world cinema highlighting their aesthetic values." Thirai seelai with 40 chapters is his first book and is a collection of his essays on film. They were selected from the film articles he worte for the magazine Rasanai over the years. It was published by Trishakthi Sundar Raman through Trishakthi Publications.
He has also been nominated as one of the World’s best 100 Caricaturists
by Romanian Cartoonists Association in 2007. He won Excellency Prize for best artists in the world for 2007. Recently he won Vocational Excellence Award from Rotaract Club
of Coimbatore Unique.
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
painter, film critic, art designer and writer from Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Biography
Jeevananthan is the eldest son of N. Velayutham Pillai, a noted banner artist for Tamil filmsTamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
during 1950’s, 60s and 70’s in the Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
area and the proprietor of Cine Arts (est. 1954). Jeevananthan started his education in English medium and Hindi as his second language. He did his schooling from Kikani Higher Secondary School, Coimbatore. He obtained a bachelors degree in political science from Government Arts College, Coimbatore and his post graduate degree at Presidency College
Presidency College, Chennai
Presidency College is an arts, law and science college in the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India. Established as the Madras Preparatory School on October 15, 1840 and later, upgraded to a high school and then, graduate college, the Presidency College is one of the oldest government arts colleges...
, Chennai. He also has a law degree from Coimbatore Law College
Government Law College, Coimbatore
The Government Law College, Coimbatore is one of seven government law colleges in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The colleges are administered by Tamil Nadu's Department of Legal Studies, which was established in 1953 to improve the standards of legal education in the state, and to provide legal...
. In addition to this, he has also completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Productivity Management (PGDPM) from Coimbatore Productivity Council. Jeevanantham does not have any formal art education. He learnt modern art painting from artist Prakash Chandra, the founder of Chitrakala (Painting) academy, Coimbatore. He is married to Thamizharasi and have two children - Anand and Meena. His brother V. Manikandan
V. Manikandan
V. Manikandan is a leading cinematographer hailing from Tamil Nadu. He has worked as the cinematographer for a number of major box office hits in Hindi and Tamil. He is an acclaimed ad film cinematographer with more than 3,000 ad films to his credit. He won the Best Cinematographer award...
is an acclaimed cinematographer.
Career
After his father's death in 1981, Jeevananthan took over Cine Arts - the family's film banner business. Since then he has painted thousands of film banners and manages the company till today. He is currently the president of Chitrakala Academy, an association of Coimbatore artists.Since 1978, he has been exhibiting his works at Chithrakala Academy’s Annual Art Exhibition in Coimbatore, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
and Bengaluru. His painting collections are displayed at Valluvar Kottam
Valluvar Kottam
Valluvar Kottam is a modern landmark in Chennai, India which is dedicated to the classical Tamil poet, philosopher and saint Thiruvalluvar. Valluvar Kottam is located at the intersection of the Kodambakkam High road and the Village road, was constructed by Kalainger M.Karunanidhi - the then Chief...
, Chennai. He was one of the 133 painters from all over India to paint Kural Oviyams (lit. Paintings on Tirukkural
Tirukkuṛaḷ
Tirukkuṛaḷ , sometimes spelt 'Thirukkural, is a classic of couplets or Kurals or aphorisms celebrated by Tamils. It was authored by Thiruvalluvar, a poet who is said to have lived anytime between the 2nd and 6th centuries AD. Although the exact period of its composition is still disputed,...
) exhibited since 2000, with the unveiling of Valluvar Statue at Kanyakumari
Kanyakumari
Kanyakumari is a town in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is also sometimes referred to as Cape Comorin. Located at the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula, it is the geographical end of the Indian mainland. The district in Tamil Nadu where the town is located is called Kanyakumari...
. He has also painted banners and posters for 20 dramas for the theatre group Schauspielhaus Zürich
Schauspielhaus Zürich
The Schauspielhaus Zürich is one of the most prominent and important theatres in the German-speaking world. It is also known as "Pfauenbühne" after its location on the Pfauen Square in Zürich, Switzerland. The large theatre has 750 seats...
at Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. In 2009, he exhibited his paintings on communist leader P. Jeevanandham as part of Jeevanandham's centenary celebrations. He has done Illustrations for Ajantha Ellora
Ellora Caves
Ellora is an archaeological site, from the city of Aurangabad in the Indian state of Maharashtra built by the Rashtrakuta dynasty . Well-known for its monumental caves, Ellora is a World Heritage Site. Ellora represents the epitome of Indian rock-cut architecture. The 34 "caves" – actually...
documentaries produced jointly by Japan and Maharashtra governments and directed by R. Ramkumar, of Vikram Studios. He is also an illustrator for short stories in Tamil Magazine Vaarththai, Om Sakthi, Veedu (Canada), Uyirmai etc. He designed Book wrappers for most of Tamil writer Naanjil Naadan’s Novels.
Jeevanantham is also a noted film reviewer and critic. In the 1980s, he wrote film reviews for the Tamil magazine Kalki
Kalki (magazine)
Kalki is a Tamil magazine published from Chennai, Tamilnadu. The magazine was established by Kalki Krishnamurthy, a popular Tamil novelist and Indian freedom fighter. The magazine was very famous for its publication of historic novels by Kalki such as Ponniyin Selvan and Sivagamiyin Sabadham....
as a student journalist. He has worked as illustrator for literary magazines besides designing covers for novels. He was also a student artist in Dhisaigal a youth magazine edited by Maalan during 80s. Jeeva delivers lectures and demonstrations on portraits in most of the colleges in and around Coimbatore as a part of Fine Arts club activities. He is an active member of Sunday art classes since 1979 for students. During 2008-09, Jeeva taught monthly art classes to inmates of central prison, Coimbatore.
Awards
Jeevananthan's book Thirai seelai, received "special Mention" in the Best BookNational Film Award for Best Book on Cinema
The National Film Award — Golden Lotus Award — Best Book on Cinema winners:...
category of the National Film Awards
58th National Film Awards
The 58th National Film Awards is presented to the best of Indian Cinema released during the year 2010.-Feature Films:Films made in any Indian language shot on 16 mm, 35 mm or in a wider gauge or digital format but released on a film format or video/digital but certified by the Central...
, 2011, that were announced in Delhi on 19 May 2011. The citation he received says "This book is a sincere attempt to analyze important developments in Tamil film. It also provides an insight into the classics of world cinema highlighting their aesthetic values." Thirai seelai with 40 chapters is his first book and is a collection of his essays on film. They were selected from the film articles he worte for the magazine Rasanai over the years. It was published by Trishakthi Sundar Raman through Trishakthi Publications.
He has also been nominated as one of the World’s best 100 Caricaturists
Caricature
A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...
by Romanian Cartoonists Association in 2007. He won Excellency Prize for best artists in the world for 2007. Recently he won Vocational Excellence Award from Rotaract Club
Rotaract
Rotaract originally began as a Rotary International youth programme in 1968 and has now grown into a major Rotary-sponsored organisation of over 8,700 clubs spread around the world and 200,000 + members. It is a service, leadership and community service organisation for young men and women between...
of Coimbatore Unique.
External links
- Excellency Prize for best artists in the world for 2007
- Outlook India publishes 83rd National Awards list
- Article in DeccanChronicle - Jeeva gets Honour
- Reference in Hindu
- Jeeva as a judge
- Tamil writer gets award after 29 years
- Article in Hindu on Chitrakala Academy, Coimbatore
- Article "Cinema and City" published in Hindu about Jeevanantham's views on Cinema
- Jeevanantham listed in Romanian website as an Indian Caricaturist in CARAGIALE COLLECTION
- Article in Hindu about his award winning Book "ThiraiSeelai"