Govind Solegaonkar

GOVIND SOLEGAONKAR (Sehore, Madhya Pradesh, British India, 1912-1986).
"Abstract composition."
Gouache on paper.
Signed in the lower left corner.
Measurements: 38 x 53 cm; 50.5 x 66 cm (frame).

An unusual artist, Govind Solegaonkar dedicated his life to the cult of art. He spent years visiting the caves of Ajanta and Bagh, camping there for days on end, trying to decipher the secret techniques that gave the sculptures and murals their ethereal beauty. He worked as much in landscape as in portraiture or abstract painting. He traveled the length and breadth of India with his palette and backpack of brushes. In his landscapes he captured the magnificence of nature, from the Sahyadris to the wilds of the Himalayas. Solegaonkar was a member of the Indore Group, active between 1934 and 1937, which included artists NS Bendre, DJ Joshi and MS Joshi. In 1935, he won the gold medal of the Bombay Art Society for his painting 'Mahiyari' .He held numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout his career and received numerous awards and distinctions. His works are exhibited at Rajya Sabha in New Delhi, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai and CSMVS Museum in Mumbai.