Late child prodigy Clint’s father dead

Joseph dies of cardiac arrest in Kochi

Clint with his parents Chinnamma and M.T. Joseph.

M.T. Joseph, father of iconic child artist Edmund Thomas Clint who died in 1983 leaving behind a treasure of over 25,000 paintings, died at a private hospital here following a cardiac arrest.

The 74-year-old retired accountant of the Centre Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) here was hospitalised on January 1 with breathing difficulties. Clint was the only son of Joseph and Chinnamma.

Mr. Joseph’s body will be handed over to the Kolencherry medical college, after being kept at his ancestral house on Manjummel-Eloor Road from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday.

Clint’s life was as short as 2,522 days due to a prolonged illness that affected his kidney. But he showed exceptional skills in drawing and painting from a very young age.

After Hollywood actor

Mr. Joseph, who loved cowboy movies, chose to name his son Clint after the legendary Hollywood actor Clint Eastwood. Eastwood happened to watch a documentary made on Clint at an international film festival. Touched by his story, he sent his signed photograph to Clint’s parents, expressing sorrow at his untimely demise, said M.R. Hari, managing director, Invis Multimedia, which along with Kerala Tourism co-organised painting contests in memory of Clint.

Journalist T.K. Sadasivan, who became acquainted with Clint and his parents after the boy won first prize in two painting contests organised by Stallions International, said Clint became what he is due to his parents, who lived a life dedicated to his memory.

Remembering Mr. Joseph, artist T. Kaladharan said their long friendship began on a sour note, when a three-member judging panel comprising him, a young artist, overlooked Clint at a painting contest.

“Clint had painted sunset in vivid hues and we somehow thought either this kid only drew sunsets or that he was over-aged. Mr. Joseph, a body-builder, complained to my neighbour who he would meet at the gym as to how unfair the evaluation was. Years later, we realised Clint's talent. So, when Ammu Nair’s book on Clint was being released, I apologised in public,” he said.