The Government College of Fine Arts (initially known as the Madras School of Art) in

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

is the oldest art institution in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The institution was established in 1850 by surgeon

Alexander Hunter Dr Alexander Hunter (1729–17 May 1809) was a Scottish physician, known also as a writer and editor. Life Born in Edinburgh in 1729 (the ''Memoir'' says 1733), he was eldest son of a prosperous druggist. He was sent to the grammar school at ...

as a private art school. In 1852, after being taken over by the government, it was renamed as the Government School of Industrial Arts. In 1962, it was renamed as the Government School of Arts and Crafts and the Government College of Arts and Crafts, before finally being renamed as present.

History

During

British rule in India The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

, the crown found that

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

had many talented and artistic minds. As the British had also established a settlement in and around Madras, George Town was chosen to establish an institute that would cater to the artistic expectations of the royals in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. At first traditional artists were employed to produce furniture, metalwork, and curios, and their work was sent to the royal palaces of the Queen. The institute established itself as the first school of art in India, predating the University of Madras. The school was located at Popham's Broadway. In 1852, it was shifted to its present premises, a four-acre campus on Poonamallee High Road. In 1928, Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhury joined as its vice-principal and in 1929, he became its first Indian principal. He was the principal until 1957. He was succeeded by

K.C.S. Paniker Kovalezhi Cheeramputhoor Sankara Paniker (31 May 1911 – 16 January 1977) was an Indian metaphysical and abstract painter from Malabar District. He interpreted the country's age-old metaphysical and spiritual knowledge in the 1960s, when Indian ...

. Later, a number of noted artists held the role of principal, including R. Krishna Rao, S. Dhanapal, K. L. Munuswamy, A. P. Santhanaraj and C. J. Anthony Doss. In 1966, former principal

, along with his students and some artists associated with the college, founded the

Cholamandal Artists' Village Cholamandal Artists' Village is an artists' commune in Chennai, India. Established in 1966, it is the largest artists' commune in India. The community is located in the southern coastal neighborhood of Injambakkam. Its artists are credited for t ...

, near

, which is still considered one of the '10 biggest art moments' in India. Govt Fine Arts College Madras

Courses offered

Government College of fine arts, Chennai - offers Bachelor and Master degrees

ith Faculty of Engineering, University of Chennai The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...

in fine arts, Courses Offered in Visual communication, Painting, Sculpture, Textile Design, Ceramics and Print Making raphic arts

Notable alumni

* Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhury (sculpture) *

K. C. S. Paniker Kovalezhi Cheeramputhoor Sankara Paniker (31 May 1911 – 16 January 1977) was an Indian metaphysical and abstract painter from Malabar District. He interpreted the country's age-old metaphysical and spiritual knowledge in the 1960s, when India ...

* A.P.Santhanaraj (Principal) * K.M. Adimoolam (drawing and painting) *

T. Viswanathan Tanjore Viswanathan (13 August 1927 – 10 September 2002) was a Carnatic musician specializing in the Carnatic flute and voice. Early life and background Viswa, as T. (Tanjore/Thanjavur) Viswanathan is often called, was born in Madras, In ...

(Vice Principle) (Painting and Visual Communication) * Alphonso A.Doss (Principle) (Painting) * Kanayi Kunjiraman (sculpture) *

Namboothiri The Nambudiri (), also transliterated as Nampoothiri, Nambūdiri, Namboodiri, Nampoothiri, and Nampūtiri, are a Malayali Brahmin caste, native to what is now the state of Kerala, India, where they constituted part of the traditional feudal el ...

(painting and sculpture) *

Paris Viswanathan Velu Viswanathan, popularly known as Paris Viswanathan (born 1 January 1940) is an Indian painter, sculptor and filmmaker. He is considered by many as one of the prominent modern painters in India. He is a recipient of the Best Documentary Fi ...

(painting and filmmaking) *

T. K. Padmini T. K. Padmini (12 May 1940 – 11 May 1969) was an Indian painter from the south India state of Kerala. A recipient of multiple awards from the Chennai centre of the Lalit Kala Akademi, she was one of the prominent Indian woman painters. Her pa ...

(painting) *

Trotsky Marudu Trotsky Marudu is an Indian contemporary artist known for line drawing, animation, storyboard and computer graphics. Marudu has also worked as Art director and VFX creative director for many films and is a pioneer in using computer for pain ...

(drawing and painting) * Ebenezer Sunder Singh (painting and sculpture) *

Sivakumar Palaniswamy, better known by his stage name Sivakumar (born 27 October 1941), is an Indian visual artist and former actor who has portrayed a wide range of leading and supporting roles onscreen in Tamil cinema and television. He made his actin ...

(drawing, painting, and acting) *

Syed Thajudeen Syed Thajudeen Shaik Abu Talib (born 23, August 1943) is a Malaysian painter. He is known for his large scale mural paintings of epic proportions set in period landscapes. A distinctive stylisation, romantic treatment of subject matter and t ...

(figurative artist) *

D. R. K. Kiran D. R. K. Kiran is an Indian actor and art director who works primarily in Tamil Cinema. He started his career as an asst. art director during the early 1990s, and worked in films like Seeman, Kuruthipunal, Nerukku Ner, Alaipayudhey, etc. He ...

(art director, actor) *

Manobala Manobala (born 8 December 1953) is an Indian film director, producer, actor and comedian who predominantly plays supporting roles in Tamil-language films. He started his career in Tamil cinema in the early 1970s and with Kamal Haasan's referen ...

(director) *

Pa. Ranjith Pa. Ranjith is an Indian film director and screenwriter who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He made his directorial debut with the 2012 romantic comedy ''Attakathi'', before earning unanimously positive reviews for his second film, the politi ...

(director) * Ameresh Viswanathan (Industrial Design, Painting and Printmaking)

References

External links

The British Library image

at ''The Hindu''
Artist R.Krishna Rao
Official website

History

Courses offered

Notable alumni

References

External links

See also