Artist Maruthi, known as a master of wash art and whose art invariably adorned the stories and novels in Tamil magazines, passed away on Thursday, July 27. He was 85 years old, and breathed his last in Pune where he was staying with his daughter. His paintings and illustrations were known for being lively and reflecting the essence of the story in them, especially the women characters. Wash art or wash technique used in water painting is a method in which a painting is done using diluted paint or ink, resulting in a semi-transparent painting. Most of his characters had a dusky tone, wide eyes and were filled with emotions.
For several decades, Tamil magazines, including Vikatan, Kumudham and Kungumam, carried his illustrations for their stories and novels. His artworks were also present in the covers of novels published by renowned writers, including Balakumaran and Sujatha. According to a report in The Hindu, his first illustration was published in the Kumudham magazine, on April 20, 1969 for a story titled “Ayyo Paavam”.
Maruthi’s birth name was Ranganthan, he was born in Pudukkottai in 1938 to Marathi parents D Venkoba Rao and Padmavati Pai. His father was a school teacher and Maruthi started doing sketches using chalks in his house. He completed his schooling till 10th standard, he decided to become a full-time painter and illustrator after that. Later, he moved to Chennai in 1959 hoping to make a career as an artist, where he joined a banner designing company in Mylapore and designed many movie posters, where Maruthi got Rs 50 as a monthly salary. Maruthi has been painting since he was 19-years-old.
He also later worked with former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi as a costume designer for the Tamil film Uliyin Osai, which was released in 2008. Maruthi’s sketches were also used by Karunanidhi in some of his books, according to a Times of India report. Maruthi has won Tamil Nadu’s highest civilian award - Kalaimamani award- for his paintings. MGR and Karunanidhi during their respective terms helped this artist in many ways by providing projects and allocating house.
Maruthi was very much active on social media, where he posted his paintings regularly, with the last post being on June 29.
Chief minister M K Stalin condoled the artist's death, while veteran actor Sivakumar, who had learned painting from artist R Natarajan alongside Maruthi, said his friend's passing marked the end of the unique style of painting which he embraced from Natarajan. "It is sad and unfortunate that he did not become financially sound despite holding on to the brush till death," said Sivakumar.
“He got a special place in the hearts of Tamil people by his paintings. He also worked with the movies of M Karunanidhi. I convey my condolences to his family members, friends from the media circle and readers”, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said in his statement.
"தமிழ்நாடு அரசின் கலைமாமணி விருது பெற்ற ஓவியர் மாருதி அவர்களின் மறைவுச் செய்தி கேட்டு மிகவும் வருந்தினேன்.
— CMOTamilNadu (@CMOTamilnadu) July 27, 2023
அவரது மறைவால் வாடும் குடும்பத்தினர், உறவினர்கள், பத்திரிகை உலக நண்பர்கள் மற்றும் வாசகர்களுக்கு எனது ஆழ்ந்த இரங்கல்" என மாண்புமிகு முதலமைச்சர் @mkstalin அவர்கள்… pic.twitter.com/sjydwD4eDb