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 One
of the most significant catalysts in the contemporary art
scene in this part of India, Adimoolam has won through his
art, national and international acclaim.
Born in 1938, into an agricultural family at Keerambur
Village near Thuraiyur in Tiruchirapalli district, Adi's
interest in drawing started when he was in primary school.
Appreciation from fellow students and encouragement from
his drawing teacher stoked his eagerness to become an
artist. Clearly, he was more interested in drawing than in
his subjects.
After coming to Chennai in 1959, he was introduced to
artist and sculptor Dhanapal, who motivated him to enrol in
the School of Arts and Crafts, Chennai. Adi obtained his
Diploma in Advanced Painting in 1966.
 At
the School of Arts and Crafts, he absorbed influences from
world art and the French movement of Impressionism as well
as other significant movements which followed it. His
willingness to experiment was evident in his portrait
studies and compositions. Folk culture and the traditional
art in temples had already had their impact on him through
childhood experiences.
 In
1966 Adi began drawing Mahatma Gandhi, in his various
moods. He completed over a hundred such drawings, depicting
60 years of the great man's life. 1966 was also the year
when his association with modern Tamil writers began. His
drawings were published along with modern poetry and small
stories. He had also done a large number of illustrations,
book-cover designs and book layouts.
Adi took up full-time employment as a textile designer with
the Weavers Service Centre, Chennai. He evolved a new style
of drawing and as an experiment, started working with oil
on canvas. Subsequently, he became interested in
non-figurative compositions in black and white drawings
known as the Space Series. He then began to sketch a series
of pen and ink drawings with unidirectional lines. In
search of greater freedom of expression he moved on to
abstract paintings based on nature, where the concept was
minimalised to the colours alone. Even as he was painting,
he was also doing a lot of drawings.
Adimoolam says, "My drawings and paintings help express my
feelings. My drawings are not the exact copy of what I have
seen through my eyes; but I feel they are the impressions
of beauty, which seem to constantly get imprinted on my
inner vision and emerge as black and white forms on paper".
Adimoolam has been the recipient of the Lalit Kala Akademi
Award, Academy of Fine Arts Calcutta Award, Bombay Art
Society's Award and Hyderabad Art Society Award. His solo
and group exhibitions have been held in India and abroad.
Some of his works are displayed in famous art galleries
including the ones at the National Art Gallery and Gandhi
Museum in Chennai.
Address: K.M.Adimoolam,
2/157, East Cost Road, Injambakkam, Chennai 600 041.
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