October 4, 2016: Renowned contemporary figurative artist and sculptor Yusuf Arakkal passed away in Bengaluru, India on Tuesday after prolonged illness, said a family source. He was 71.
Arakkal is survived by wife Sara and son Shibu.
Born in 1945 at Kerala's Chavakkad, he shifted to Bengaluru five decades ago to study painting at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat and passed with a diploma in arts.
As Arakkal lost his parents at a young age, the hardships and struggles he faced, shaped his sensibilities, as evident from his seminal paintings with humane touch, expressing concern for man and society.
Creating amazing works using canvases, sculptures and different materials, Arakkal was a recipient of the Lorenzo De Medici Gold Medal from Florence Internazionale Biennale at Florence in Italy, for his work "Bacon's Man with the Child and Priest". He was also honoured by the Karnataka Lalithkala Academy in 1981 and a national award by 1983.
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A collection of portraits of fellow artists he painted "Faces of Creativity" was released recently in the city.
He was also a cultural ambassador of the art scenes of Kerala and Karnataka. (IANS)