Born in 1942 at Boorugupally in Andhra Pradesh Thota Vaikuntam graduated in Painting from Hyderabad University and started his formal career as an artist late in life. At the MS University in Baroda, he trained under renowned artist KG Subramanyam, which turned out to be a learning experience that he values greatly. His earlier career included work on film-set designs and teaching art and craft to children. Vaikuntam is known for his dark and voluptuous Telangana women and greedy priests in an interesting mix of tradition within contemporary compositions. His style is quite earthy and reverberates with the rhythm of his native surroundings. The impact of folk culture and exaggerated theatrical performances that he saw as a child is evident in the work which stems from mythological tales and personalities as well as common people of the southern regions of India. With his bold figuration and vibrant colors he creates an atmosphere of richness that imparts a special quality to his paintings. More recently, Vaikuntam has reverted to making more of charcoal drawings that highlight his expertise in drawing and line work, and make for an equally powerful and expressive art. Winner of several awards, including the National, Hyderabad Arts Society and the Bharat Bhavan Biennale, his career and work, which spans over 30 years, has been featured in a retrospective that was held in Delhi and London together with a publication. His art has been showcased in numerous exhibitions in many Indian metros as well as overseas, including UK, Hong Kong, Seoul and the US. His paintings are a part of several renowned collections. Vaikuntam lives and works in Hyderabad.