Chennai, June 7(IANS)
World-renowned Dravidian artist S Elayaraja who became famous for drawing realistic paintings of Dravidian women died in a private hospital in Chennai on Monday morning owing to Covid -19 related complications. He was 43.
Elayaraja was the recipient of several state and national awards. He was the youngest of the 11 siblings of his parents and has often said that he drew inspiration for his drawings from his large family.
S Sivabalan, artist and mentor of Elayaraja in his earlier days told media, “ Elayaraja’s paintings were that realistic, that they were often mistaken for photographs and his art made appealing to the laymen. He broke the tradition of artists being known only among the art circles, art curators and buyers and he and his artwork were popular among common people also.”
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, director Pa Ranjith and several other celebrities condoled the passing away of the great artist.
Elayaraja had in his last interview said,” Death is inevitable. Only artists elude it. The artworks we leave behind ensure that we live beyond our stay in this world.”
