Satish Gujral

Satish Gujral is among the few artist who have constantly dominated the Indian art scene and internationally acclaimed for his multi-talent in paintings, graphics, mural, sculpture, architecture and interior design.

Satish Gujral was born in Jhelum in 1925 in pre-partition West Punjab.At the age of eight, a sickness terminally impaired his hearing.During his early years of sickness, `entombed in silence` as described by him, he passed his time reading Urdu literature and doodling with a
pencil on paper.




In 1939, he was enrolled to the Mayo School of Art in Lahore to study Applied Arts.After passing from Mayo School Satish Gujral joined Sir J.J. School of Art in Bombay in 1944 for further study of painting.During the year 1944-47 he came into contact of many artists of progressive groups namely S.H. Raza, EN. Souza, P.N. Mago, Jehangir Sabavala, M.F. Husain and others. In 1947 he had to leave his study at J.J.School due to resurgence of his illness.

The school taught various techniques of stone and woodcarving, metal smothery, clay modeling, drawing and design. He also had to perform scale drawing and copying of the ground plans and elevations of old buildings.

Satish Gujral left for Mexico on a scholarship for an apprenticeship with Diego Rivera and David Sequeiros His paintings and graphics are mainly dominated by the social content.

The pain and anguish of homeless during the partition of the country took shape in his artwork and his brush sweeps with quick strokes to reveal the anger. His sculptures were made with industrial materials like still, copper, glass and are often painted in strong enamel colors. Be it painting, be it sculpture or mural, Satish Gujral`s search always went on for what was living and life giving to the traditional arts and crafts of India. Later he tried out junk sculptures, introducing light and sound to them.




Exhibitions
From 1952 to 1974, Satish Gujral had numerous solo exhibitions of his sculptures, paintings and graphics in Mexico City, New York, New Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Montreal, Rome, Berlin, Tokyo, Buenos Aires and Stockholm. Since the late `80s up to the recent years, Satish Gujral`s paintings and sculptures further diversified both in terms of materials and content. His sculptures with burnt wood have a kind of slimily with the visceral forms of human and otherwise. Satish Gujral formed committees to make large murals, mostly in mosaic and ceramic tiles and later he took interest in machined steel elements as immediate architectural context.

Murals made by Satish Gujral

Satish Gujral had made many murals for Punjab University, Chandigarh, Odeon Cinema, New Delhi (1962), World Trade Fair, New York (1963), Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi (1964), Northern Railway, New Delhi (1966), Ministry of Education, Shastri Bhavan, New Delhi (1968), Agricultural
University, Hissar (1970, `73, `86), Oberoi Towers, Bombay (1971-72), The Palace of the Sultan of Muscat (1975), Delhi High Court (1976), Gandhi Institute, Mauritius (1977) and World Trade Centre, New York (1980).

Design & Architect Work
The year 1977 is important because in this year Satish Gujral started exploring the elusive vocabulary of International Style in modem architecture. He designed the Daryani House, New Delhi (1977), Modi House (1978),Gandhi Institute (1978-79), Datwani House (1979- 90), Modi House (1980-82), Belgian Embassy, New Delhi (1980-83), and Dass House, New Delhi (1983-85). In 1986 Satish Gujral designed the Goa University and the CMC, Hyderabad, Palace AI-Bwordy, Dubai, and the Indian Ambassador`s house in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Honours
The National Award for Painting (1956, 1957), National Award for Sculpture (1972), State Honour from the Government of Punjab (1979), and the Order of the Crown, Belgium, for Architecture (1983) are some honours bestowed upon Satish Gujral from early days.

Citizens of Delhi had honoured Gujral as one of its twenty-five most honorable citizens. In the year 1999 he was awarded by the highest accolade of Indian Government, the `Padma Vibhushan`.

He is the subject for many documentary films. Four books on his works have been published which also includes his autobiography `A Brush with Life`.

VASUDEV KAMATH, ‘I belong to my art and my art belongs to my heart’

Kamath, born on 27 April, 1956, is an internationally acclaimed artist and in 2006 he became the first Indian to win the Grand Prize from the Portrait Society Of America for his painting entitled ‘My wife’. This has given him worldwide recognition. More than a hundred countries participated in this competition. He is a master painter of immeasurable originality and vision.

For this extraordinary artist ‘ brush became my tool and canvas my stage’ at a very early age. His genius became apparent after he completed studies at J J School of Art in Mumbai with distinction. Since then he has been inundated with awards, success and acclaim.



He has been involved with our project from its inception and shown creativity, imagination and talent which is rare to find. His vast knowledge and interest in the history of India has contributed immensely towards the whole project. He is a very disciplined person who sketches and draws daily without fail. This discipline has helped him produce the majority of the paintings for us. Each of his painting is a masterpiece. Not only that he has acted as a guide and inspiration for Vishal Wadaye, Sakale Manoj kumar and the Sawant brothers. He has enjoyed working for us as the project resonates with what he believes in and stands for.

He has won many awards and honours in India and abroad and his paintings have been exhibited and sold worldwide.

Here are enlisted some of his well known paintings
1) Adi Shankaracharya
2) Chhatrapati Shri Shivaji Maharaj
3) Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar
4) Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar
5) Hari Singh Nalwa
6) Veer Sarvarkar
7) Raj Kapoor - India’s greatest showman
8) Pioneers opening up Africa
9) Swami Dayanand Saraswati
10) Apna Punjab
11) Nothing can burn my resolve for my beloved India
12) Know thy ownself
13) The Sheikh of both worlds
14) Liberty or Bondage
15) Moksha or Nirvana
16) Aum Is Past, Present and Future
17) Aum Is The Supreme Name Of God
18) Fabric of life
19) Radha pines for her Krishna
20) The Surrender
21) Prithviraj Chauhan
22) Offering
23) The fall of the Giant
24) Jallianwala Bagh
25) Ek Onkar
26) The Iron Monk Of India
27) Hakka Bukka
28) Nirvana
29) The Greatest Treasure
30) Shirdi Sai Baba



The three important steps of good painting according to him are "Observation, contemplation and perfect technique of painting". These are the basic mantras of good painting and an artist should be able to visualise and master it with constant practice.

It was a mesmerizing experience for painters and art students to watch ace portrait artist Vasudeo Kamath giving live demonstration of portrait painting at Thane Kala Bhavan at the event organised by Konkan Kala Academy on October 2 recently.

The vibrancy of his masterpiece paintings uplift, delight, engage and ultimately reach out to the people. In his words ‘I belong to my art. And my art belongs to my heart.’

Kalamkari Paintings

Kalamkari is an ancient art form native of Andhra Pradesh and this exquisite art work of painted and printed fabrics literally means pen work. This art form is hand painted and block printed with the use of vegetable dyes. This Indian art has evolved in the last 3000 years and this legacy has been handed down from generation to generation. In Andhra Pradesh, the art of kalamkari is synonymous with two ancient cities like Masulipatnam and Srikalahasti.




Masulipatnam style of Kalamkari features Persian influence with intricate and delicate forms and motifs commonly used were trees, flowers, creepers and leaf designs. With the Dutch influence, kalamkari art was started on bed covers, curtains and garments.Most of the indoor home décor items are usually placed according to colour schemes and even themes such as animal theme, nature theme, floral theme, spirituality theme, etc.

Srikalahasti Style of kalamkari painting is influenced by Indian temples. Scrolls and wall hangings with narratives and figurines from epics such as Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas, etc. deities such as Krishna, Brahma, Ganesha, Durga, Kiratavinyaarjuna, Lakshmi, Rama, Shiva and Parvathi were the main subjects.

The kalamkari goes through a vigorous process of resist – dyeing and hand printing. Kalamkari painting goes through a lot of treatment before and after the painting is done on the fabric. The colours change depending on the treatment of cloth and quality of the mordant.Every step in the process is painstakingly done and with perfection.

Kalamkari paintings have a big demand in the market even outside India. The kalamkari art for sale is available in leading exhibitions that showcase and promote Indian handicrafts.

'Indian elements' dominate India Art Summit

At Delhi's main venue for large trade exhibitions, Pragati Maidan, there's a buzz in the air. Stylish young women flashing designer bags and sunglasses mingle with bearded artists and men wearing conservative business suits.Welcome to the India Art Summit, the country's largest contemporary arts exhibition showcasing collections from 54 galleries from around the world.




But although there are works from several internationally renowned artists, including Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, the focus is unmistakeably on Indian art.Vast canvases of oil paintings from some of India most renowned painters share space with a variety of art forms from younger, more contemporary artists including sculptures, video and digital art installations.

At the entrance is the showpiece - three giant sculptures by one of the country's leading contemporary artists, Subodh Gupta, depicting three monkeys made of bronze, steel and old utensils.




One of the artists exhibiting her work here is Arpana Caur. In her 50s, she's one of India's most celebrated painters and is often described as one of the "Great Indian Modernists".

Renu Mody displayed her work internationally and is currently exhibiting at the Bradford Museum in the UK, alongside David Hockney and Damien Hirst but believes that however contemporary Indian art may be, it must stay faithful to its roots.

Over the past few years, the Indian art market has boomed. Last year Christie's sold a painting by the Indian artist, Francis Newton Souza, for a record £1.2 million (about $2m).

Indian art draws on a rich tradition that goes back thousands of years but what we are seeing here is its commercial and artistic evolution. This summit was put together by people in their 20s and one of the art panels was curated by a young girl of 17. So an entire new generation
of artists and art lovers is driving Indian art and pushing its boundaries.

Mona Rai

MONA Rai, contemporary Indian artist who was born in Delhi in 1947 studied M.A. Psychology, Delhi University and attended art classes for a couple of years at Triveni Kala Sangam. She lives and works in Delhi.





The space of painting is often thought to be one of quite contemplation, of refuge, seclusion and withdrawal from the world. For Mona Rai it is exactly the opposite: it is a space for experimentation and risk – taking, where danger can be courted and limits exceeded.

For Mona, painting is a space which allows things that are excluded from daily life to happen with passion, rigor and even rage. Her looming, square works epitomize her artistic attitude. Textures fascinate Rai; dots, dashes, slashes, directional strokes and streaks create her particular style. Square canvases are seldom used infigurative or narrative art, since dramatic distortions are hard to
accommodate.

The quality of tension and striving in Mona Rai's canvasses is indeed intriguing. The constant repetition of see what first appears to be randomness unified by the demands of color, gives way to a feel of stillness, and tranquility.

Her work also evokes deep meditativeness. Her work mostly relates to the cosmic mystery of open space, light and time, that is intangible and cannot be easily 'boxed or compartmentalized.

During her long and distinguished career, she has had many solo and group shows. Her work has also been been exhibited internationally and features in several prestigious collections such as National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; Lalit Kala Akademi; Air India; Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal, Punjab University Museum, Chandigarh and in other private collections in India and internationally.

Araceli Limcaco-Dans - Muse with paintings

Of the many Filipina women artists, it is probably Araceli Limcaco-Dans who has had the longest and most consistent career as an artist and teacher. Her parents, with roots in the artistic town of Paete in Laguna, were among the most encouraging in art. She recalls that her father Eleuterio Limcaco enrolled her as a very young girl under Angela Fernandez at Santa Rosa College for the rudiments of art.





Araceli Limcaco-Dans is a still life painter and is well known for using the medium, watercolor. She paints and draws in life. Her paintings combine beauty and poetry in a way that makes the paintings realistic. Just like her, my professor, Prof. Dans-Lee is an artist-educator too. And oh, not only are they good artists and educators, but both of them are beautiful women, so are my professor's siblings too!

She came in as a special student in the University of the Philippines’ School of Fine Arts on Padre Faura. Even as a young girl, her career as an artist had already such auspicious and exciting beginnings.

Dans gained fame for her calado series, but she has also worked in many genres in oil and watercolor.

She has painted the miniaturists Justiniano Asuncion, Simon Flores, Antonio Malantic alike by other portraitists two centuries ago. They were called “miniaturists” because of their meticulous attention to detail using an exceedingly fine brush to render details of embroidery and accessories, and not because they did paintings of small dimensions, for many of them were full-sized works.

Aside from portraits, Dans also did paintings related to her household, as in a charming woven basket filled willy-nilly with children’s shoes and sandals, referring to her own household of 10 children that she feeds with chicken noodle soup and chocolate cake recipes too probably.

Under these circumstances, it is indeed a wonder that she was able to maintain her art, bravely and intensely, to be sure. But her life as wife and mother with its multiple roles was, however, intricately interwoven with her art.

Indian Art Shines at Sotheby's London

It was celebration of Indian Art away from India, in the city of London. At the occasion of this prestigious sale, a fine assortment of works by leading Modern and Contemporary Indian artists as well as rare and important Indian Miniatures was established. Francis Newton Souza’s Orange Head and Jogen Chowdhury’s Day Dreaming sparked the most spirited bidding-battles of the day and were the top-selling lots of the sale.Highlights of Sotheby's annual sale of Indian Art in London, which took place on 28 June recently-




Orange Head by Francis Newton Souza
Orange Head by Francis Newton Souza (lot 62) saw strong competition from a number of buyers before selling to a US Private Collector for £403,250 / $658,628 – more than three times the presale high estimate (est: £80,000-120,000). This price represents the highest price of the
summer auction series of Indian Art at any auction house.

Day Dreaming by Jogen Chowdhury
Jogen Chowdhury’s ink and pastel composition Day Dreaming graced the cover of the sale catalogue and was greatly admired during its pre-sale exhibition. The picture was eventually purchased by a US Private Collector for £373,250 / US$609,629, establishing a new record for the Post-Independence Indian artist. It is one of the largest works of its kind by Chowdhury to ever come to the market.

Untitled by Manjit Bawa
An Untitled painting by Manjit Bawa, which featured on the front cover of the first ever issue of Art India in 1996 was sold to an Indian Private Collector for £85,250 / $139,239.

Maqbool Fida Husain
Works by Maqbool Fida Husain were also highly sought-after with five of the seven works offered achieving prices in excess of their pre-sale high estimates. The solid results highlight the particularly strong demand for Husain works from the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.

What a show...indeed!