Description :

In Tamil Nadu, ceramic art developed through a confluence of state-led industrial initiatives and artist-driven movements that sought to bridge tradition and modernity. A ceramic factory was established in the early 1960s at Vriddhachalam, a region rich in lignite and white refractory clay, where students were trained annually in craft and design, producing domestic ware for local use and export. This initiative later became part of TACEL (Tamil Nadu Ceramic Limited), formally established in 1974 under the Ministry of Industries and Commerce to support small-scale ceramic units across the state. In Madras, artists trained in Western academic styles were simultaneously exploring ways to engage with regional identity and sustain creative livelihoods, leading to the formation of the Artists Handicrafts Association and the Cholamandal Artists’ Village in 1966. These collectives foregrounded ceramics as a sculptural and visual medium, drawing from temple architecture, folklore, and heritage crafts. Complementing these efforts, “Clay Toys” (est. 1964), a government training-cum-production unit in Perambur, provided employment to traditional potters and doll-makers, offering design assistance and infrastructure for the production of glazed ware. Together, these initiatives fostered a democratic and culturally rooted approach to ceramic art, blending utilitarian design with aesthetic exploration and expanding the possibilities of artistic expression in post-independence India.

Some of the names that can be associated with styles of reference, even while objects remain unsigned, are S. Kanniyappan, S. Dhanapal, T.R.P. Mookiah, S. Ponnambalam, and C. Dakshinamoorthy, along with K.C.S.Paniker, guide and mentor, P.V. Janakiram and others who contributed to the contemporary aesthetics of the time.