Global art contest for children in memory of Indian prodigy

New Delhi, Jan 8: Kerala Tourism is conducting an online painting competition for children worldwide in memory of Edmund Thomas Clint, a prodigy who created more than 25,000 works of art before he died one month short of his seventh birthday.

Clint's prolific output consisted of paintings and drawings - created mostly on used paper with charcoal, pencil, ball-point pens, crayons and watercolours - that depicted Kerala's rich cultural heritage, especially its religious festivals and temple art forms.

Clint, the son of Mr M T Joseph and Mrs Chinnamma Joseph died on April 15, 1983 of kidney failure, but his masterful works continue to astonish art lovers and critics for their vibrancy, depth and maturity.

The Clint Memorial International Children's Painting Competition was formally launched by Kerala's Minister for Tourism Mr A P Anil Kumar in the Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday at a function attended by Clint's parents and Tourism Secretary Mr Suman Billa.

Global art contest for children in memory of Indian prodigy

"We hope this competition will become a lasting memorial to Clint, the magical talent who was with us for such a short time. It is a tribute to an artist whose drawings are as awe-inspiring today as they were when he first drew them," the Minister said. "We also intend to showcase Kerala's culture and its uniqueness as a destination."

The competition, coordinated by Kerala Tourism's IT solutions provider Invis Multimedia, is open to all children between the ages of 4-15 years.

Global art contest for children in memory of Indian prodigy

The paintings can be on any theme related to the state of Kerala and the each participant can submit up to five entries online through the Kerala Tourism website http://www.keralatourism.org/clint. There is no entry fee for the competition which will be open from January 15 to May 31, 2014.

Tourism Secretary Mr Suman Billa said the idea of the competition is to let the world see ‘God's Own Country' through the eyes of a child. "Kerala is one of the most beautiful places on Earth and it was even more beautifully rendered on canvas by Clint. We want the world to be inspired by Clint and by Kerala."

Global art contest for children in memory of Indian prodigy

Clint's father Mr M T Joseph thanked the Kerala government for reviving his son's memory and honouring his prodigious talent thirty years after his death. He and his wife said while they have preserved tens of thousands of Clint's works on paper, the prolific child had also used every inch of space on the walls and the floor of their home as canvas. "We hope the world will know Clint better through this competition," he said.

Children living anywhere in the world can register online for the painting competition. Upon registration they will be sent two e-books - one containing a portfolio of 30 works by Clint and the other with 100 photographs on Kerala to help them learn more about the region and its culture.

Global art contest for children in memory of Indian prodigy

Additionally there are more than 3000 video clips on the award-winning Kerala Tourism website for the children to browse through.

The painting should be on paper and created manually. The participants can scan the painting and submit the image to Kerala Tourism website using the log in id they receive at registration.

Global art contest for children in memory of Indian prodigy

There are 125 prizes on offer. The top 5 winners (and their parent/guardian) will each get a tour package to explore Kerala along with an economy class ticket to travel to the state.

Kerala Tourism is only the second organisation after the United Nations Environment Programme to conduct a global painting competition on this scale.