An illustration by Maniam
“While drawing on paper, how does one distinguish between Aditha Karikalan and Raja Raja? They are all warriors and kings. They’d have similar features. The nuance lies in changing a nose here, an eye there. Maniam was able to do that with ease,” said yesteryear actor Sivakumar at the launch of the book, The Complete Artist on Maniam, by The Hindu group on October 9.
An artist himself, Sivakumar called Maniam among Tamil Nadu’s greats; someone who studied his subjects keenly and approached the worlds that Kalki created in both Ponniyin Selvan and Sivagamiyin Sabatham with distinct artistic finesse.
Illustrator Maniam
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Maniam lived only till he was 44, and created during 28 of those years between 1940 and 1968. The Complete Artist, a coffee table book, is divided into four chapters covering many parts of his short but colourful life through pages of glossy, stunning art of kings, queens, and gods.
The reason why we are still able to access his extensive repository is because his family preserved it well. There was also a question to ensure that his oeuvre is well documented — especially at a time when we think of Ponniyin Selvan’s Nandhini, we imagine Aishwarya Rai now.
Maniam Selven, his son and an artist too, says that preserving his legacy was imperative because it deserved to be viewed by a wide audience the world over. Last year, when they celebrated the artist’s birth centenary, Maniam Selven and his family put together a Tamil biography of his work alongside a retrospective that was inaugurated by maestro Ilaiyaraaja. “We brought out the big guns. My daughter and I looked through shelves and cupboards to get all kinds of art work,” he says. “My father was my silent teacher because he died when I was young. I then meticulously scanned his work to ensure we had digital copies. I learnt so much from his work. He also insisted that I find a style of my own,” he says.
The Complete Artist, a coffee table book documenting the legacy of Maniam
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Over the years, Maniam Selven had purchased many coffee table books of masters in the world of art. It only felt right to create one with his (father’s) work too. He is, after all, a master too,” he said.
For one and a half years, he worked closely with the team including curator Geetha Venkataramanan and designer X Joseph Gnana Satheesh to bring out the publication. It was decided that his illustrations spanning across mediums, would take over the book, with minimal text to ensure that the essence is retained. Many people who visit Maniam Selven’s house till date, perceive it as a museum, peering deep into the originals that are placed across the area. The intention was to wow people with such art in the book too. This is especially so because Maniam’s experiments with brush strokes are clearly visible in the coffee table book, his son says.
Maniam Selven
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
“My father worked to incorporate many interesting techniques like airbrushing and line drawing. He was identified by Kalki right as he finished studying at the Madras College of Arts. He did many interesting projects including art direction and illustrating Rajaji’s Chakravarthi Thirumagan and Vyasar Virunthu. Giving a holistic picture, beyond just Ponniyin Selvan, was one of the reasons why we brought out this book. It’s nice to breathe life into his work again,” he says.
The Complete Artist is priced at ₹3,999, and is currently available at ₹2,999 as a part of a launch offer. The book and can be ordered on publications.thehindugroup.com/bookstore
Published – October 15, 2025 06:32 pm IST
