Achuthan Kudallur, a significant figure in India's contemporary abstract art movement, will be remembered for his immense talent He captivated the art world with his luminous canvases pulsating with vibrant colors, drawing international recognition to the Madras Art Movement during the 1970s

Born in 1945 in Kudallur village, Kerala, his artistic expression was deeply influenced by his idyllic childhood spent swimming in the Bharathapuzha and Kunthipuzha rivers that intersected near his home In 1965, he relocated to Chennai to pursue civil engineering and joined evening classes at the Madras Art Club in the Government College of Fine Arts

Balancing work and art classes, Kudallur gradually developed his unique style, transitioning from figurative to abstract art in the late 1960s and early 1970s Ever indifferent to material wealth, he relinquished his job and took up the task of creating his own canvases using thick cloth, coats of glue, zinc oxide, and white lead to facilitate his painting

The colors he employed varied with his moods, yet his bold red canvases held a special place in his heart, vibrant vortexes of energy rendered in acrylic on canvas, punctuated with pockets of serenity While collectors also sought after his yellows, greens, and blues, his red compositions stood out

Kudallur received several prestigious institutional commissions, including one from Air India in Mumbai His works found their place in various individual and institutional collections, such as the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, Air India, Glenberra Museum in Japan, and in the possession of collectors in India and abroad His contributions earned him numerous accolades, including the Tamil Nadu Lalit Kala Akademi award in 1982 and the National Academy Award in 1988 The artist passed away in 2022, leaving behind a profound artistic legacy