[1][2][3] He is a recipient of the Best Documentary Film Award of the Festival dei Popoli, Florence and the K. C. S. Paniker Award of the Kerala Lalithakala V. Viswanathan was born in 1940 at Kadavoor, Kollam in the south Indian state of Kerala.

[4] After early education, he joined the Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai in 1960 where he had the opportunity to study under noted painter, K. C. S.

In 1967, he participated in Biennale de Paris; He settled in the city, the next year and has been living there since then.

[6] Viswanathan has participated in many international and national art festivals, including Biennale de Paris and the International Biennale of Engraving at Ljubljana and several art galleries such as Galerie, Ved Aaven, Aarhus, Galerie de France, Galerie Stig Carlsson, Höganäs, Centre Georges Pompidou, Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi and National Gallery of Modern Art have staged his one man shows and retrospectives.

[6] Viswanathan received the award for the best documentary film at the Festival dei Popoli held at Florence, in 1986.