Raja Ravi Varma was a celebrated Indian painter and artist. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art. His works are one of the best examples of the fusion of European academic art with a purely Indian sensibility and iconography. Additionally, he was notable for making affordable lithographs of his paintings available to the public, which greatly enhanced his reach and influence as a painter and public figure. His lithographs increased the involvement of common people with fine arts and defined artistic tastes among common people. Furthermore, his religious depictions of Hindu deities and works from Indian epic poetry and Puranas have received profound acclaim.
Kanayi Kunhiraman is an Indian sculptor, best known for his outsize sculptures such as Yakshi of Malampuzha Dam Gardens, Jalakanyaka at Shankumugham Beach and Mukkola Perumal trinity in Kochi. He is a protege of K. C. S. Paniker and a former chairman of the Lalit Kala Academy, India's national academy of fine arts. The Government of Kerala awarded him the inaugural Raja Ravi Varma Award in 2005. He is also a recipient of the Thikkurissy Award and the inaugural MS Nanjunda Rao National Award of the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath.
C. N. Karunakaran was an Indian painter, illustrator and art director from Kerala. He was the Chairman of the Kerala Lalitakala Academy and a recipient of several honours including the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Award which he won thrice. The Akademi honoured him again with the fellowship in 2005.
Madathil Vasudevan, popularly identified as M. V. Devan, was an Indian painter, sculptor, writer, art critic and orator. Besides his artistic works, he was also known for his architectural designs for a number cultural institutions as well as for his contributions in founding Kerala Kalapeetom, Kochi-based cultural organization, Malayala Kalagramam, an art village in New Mahe and Kalagramam, another art village in Kollam. A former chairman of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, he was a recipient of several honours including the Raja Ravi Varma Puraskaram of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, the Vayalar Award and the Mathrubhumi Literary Award.
Karuvattu Mana Vasudevan Namboothiri, better known as Namboothiri, is an Indian painter and sculptor, known for his line art and copper relief works. He has done illustrations for many Malayalam writers such as Thakazhy Shivasankara Pillai, Kesavadev, M. T. Vasudevan Nair, Uroob, S. K. Pottekkatt, Edasseri Govindan Nair, and V.K.N. and is reported to be one of the most prolific literary illustrators in the world. He is a former chairman of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi. The Akademi awarded him the Raja Ravi Varma Award in 2003. He is also a recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for Best Art Director.
Attoor Ravi Varma was an Indian poet and translator of Malayalam literature. One of the pioneers of modern Malayalam poetry, Ravi Varma is a recipient of Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Translation, besides many other honours. The Government of Kerala honoured him with their highest literary award, the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, in 2012 and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi inducted him as their distinguished fellow in 2017.
Kalpathi Ganpathi "K.G." Subramanyan was an Indian artist. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2012.
Akkitham Narayanan is an Paris-based Indian painter from Kerala. A student of such artists as K. C. S. Paniker, D. P. Roy Choudhury and Jean Bertholle, Narayanan's paintings are on display at various museums and galleries in many countries such as India, France, Japan, Poland and Germany. He is a three time recipient of the Tamil Nadu State Lalit Kala Akademi Award, Raja Ravi Varma Award of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and the Cagnes-sur-Mer International Festival of Painting Award.
S Rajasekharan is a literary critic and poet in the Malayalam language, in India. He was the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit in Kalady, Kerala.
Raja Ravi Varma College of Fine Arts is located in Mavelikkara, Kerala, India. The college was established by Rama Varma son of Raja Ravi Varma in 1915. The first principal of this college was Artist P.J.Cherian. The college offers both undergraduate degree and diploma courses in fine arts, including in sculpture, painting and applied arts. This government institution is affiliated with the University of Kerala. The current principal is Tensing Joseph.
Mankada Ravi Varma was an Indian cinematographer and director who worked in Malayalam cinema. He is exclusively known for his association with renowned film-maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan. He has associated with other major directors such as G. Aravindan and P. N. Menon. He has also directed two films. He has won two National Film Awards and seven Kerala State Film Awards in various categories.
C. K. Ramakrishnan Nair, popularly known as C.K. Ra, was an Indian painter, writer, and teacher of fine arts. An advocate of creative freedom, Ramakrishnan Nair was credited with bringing modernism in Kerala painting and heralded the 'Ra phase' in Kerala painting. He served as the Superintendent of the Trivandrum School of Arts and later became the chairman of Kerala Lalita Kala Akademi.
Professor C. L. Porinchukutty is an Indian artist and art educator. He was born in Thrissur in the erstwhile state of Cochin in 1932. He practised art under the tutelage of veteran artist P I Ithoop, a disciple of Abanindranath Tagore. After attaining a Diploma in Painting from the Government of Madras, he took a degree in English literature from the University of Kerala and Post-Graduation in Painting with Gold Medal from the University of Udaipur, Rajasthan.
Francis Kodankandath is an Indian contemporary artist. He won the 2003–2004 National Academy Award and the 1993 Kerala Lalit Kala Academy Award.He is son of Prof.K.P Antony and Mrs.Achamma Antony. He is a member of the Thandikkal Kodankandath family, Manaloor, Trichur, Kerala.
Balan Nambiar is an Indian painter, sculptor, enamellist, photographer and an academic researcher.
Kalamandalam V. Satyabhama was an Indian classical dancer, teacher and choreographer, known for her performances and scholarship in mohiniyattam. She is regarded as a matriarch of the classical dance form. She was also well versed in other classical dances of Kerala. She was awarded the Padma Shri, in 2014, for her contributions to the art and culture, by the Government of India.
Bharati Shivaji is an Indian classical dancer of Mohiniyattom, choreographer and author, known for her contributions to the art form by way of performance, research and propagation. She is the founder of Center for Mohiniyattam, a dance academy promoting Mohiniyattom and the co-author of two books, Art of Mohiniyattom and Mohiniyattom. She is a recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Sahitya Kala Parishad Samman. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2004, for her contributions to Indian classical dance.
The Raja Ravi Varma Puraskaram is an annual award given by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, Government of Kerala to a person showing excellence in the field of art and culture. The award is named after Raja Ravi Varma, the Indian Malayali painter and artist. The Kerala state Government instituted this award to honour outstanding Kerala painters and sculptors in 2001. The first recipient was K G Subramanian.
T.R. Udayakumar is an Indian contemporary artist living in Kottayam, Kerala.
