‘How art could also mean livelihood – that question became the seed of Cholamandal’: Akkitham Narayanan

In artist Akkitham Narayanan’s canvases every form bears a cosmic rhythm, bringing together mathematical precision with meditative stillness, reflecting the rational and the spiritual. Born in Kerala and trained at the Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai, the artist who later studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris has been residing in the French Capital for more than 60 years now.

Currently in India for his retrospective “Geometries of the Infinite” — presented by Artworld: Sarala’s Art Centre — at Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai , the artist talks about his formative years, his eternal geometric forms and how the Cholamandal (artists’ village in Chennai ) model continues to be relevant. Excerpts:

When you look back at your formative years in Kerala, what are your earliest