E. Kumaril Swamy (24 November 1924 – 9 December 1993) was an Indian painter and sculptor and art teacher, who spent most of his life in Delhi. During his lifetime, he not just saw the partition of the Indian subcontinent two times, in 1947 and in 1971, but also witnessed 20th century Indian art in all its phases.
E. Kumaril Swamy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 24 November 1924 Mulkanoor, Karim Nagar district, Hyderabad, then Madras Presidency, British Raj (now in Telangana State), India |
| Died | 9 December 1993 (aged 69) Delhi, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | Visva-Bharati University, Shanti Niketan, West Bengal |
| Years active | 1940–1993 |
| Known for | Painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, writing |
| Spouse |
Kala Swamy
(m. 1956; died 2023) |
| Children | Yasodhara (daughter) Rahul Swamy (son) Kunal Swamy (son) |
| Relatives | Swamy (father) S.Swamy (mother) Siddharth Swamy (grandson) |
| Awards | Vice Principal of College of Arts, Delhi |
| Patron(s) | Usha Prasad |
Swamy demonstrated artistic talent in his early years, painting in a naturalistic manner through his childhood and adolescence.
He was a recipient of the Delhi Government's Sahitya Kala Parishad Samman in the field of Fine Arts in the year 1976-77.[1]
Early life and education
editSwamy was born in a small village Mulkanoor, Karim Nagar district, near Hyderabad on 24 November 1924.
He studied Hindi literature, 1940. He obtained a Diploma in Painting (Fine Arts) in the year 1944 from Sharda Ukil School of Art, Delhi, and a degree in Painting (Fine Arts) in 1949 from Visva-Bharati University, Shanti Niketan. He studied under Sarada Ukil and Nandalal Bose, one of the pioneers of modern Indian art and a key figure of Contextual Modernism.
In his early teens, he started doing social work in slums of Hyderabad. Thakkar Bapa (an Indian social worker) saw his ability and took him to Delhi and introduced to Mahatma Gandhi as a young freedom fighter. He worked with Mahatma Gandhi and Thakkar Bapa in National Independent Movement.
His further education was started at Gandhi Ashram, also boys hostel, known as Udyog Shala (present days polytechnics) at Kingsway Camp, Delhi. Here his education was under a very prominent Hindi Sahityakar and Gandhian Social worker and reformer, Hariprasad Dvivedi, popularly known as Viyogi Hari. Swamy's ability as writer was kindled by his sahityakar guru Viyogi Hari, whose teachings and knowledge reformed the life of young artist.
His medium of expression was mainly water colour and oil colours also. His water colours were Organic Earth Colours (earthy pigments excavated from mines) came in dried cake forms. He used to crush them as powder and mixed water to make his medium of expression, Water Colours.
Swamy married Kala Swamy on 3 September 1956 at Andhra Pradesh. They had one daughter, Yasodhara, and two sons, Rahul Swamy and Kunal Swamy.
Career
editAs an artist working with water-colours and oil paintings, his themes revolved around archetypal human struggles. The number of his works are now part of the collection of National Gallery of Modern Art,[2] New Delhi. His painting, After Ajanta Caves, Adi Shankaracharya rendered in shades of blue and blue-green, give the very much impression.[citation needed]
He had great love and attraction for Murals and Fresco paintings. He was fascinated by the great work done in Ajanta and Elora caves. One of his great fresco painting is in Shanti Niketan, a huge painting which mesmerized the viewers, is a replica of Ajanta mural called Bodhisattav Padmapani.[citation needed]
He gave the early training to Ms Sudha Prasad, a painter born in New Delhi.
He joined College of Art, Delhi in 1961 as a Lecturer and was retained as Professor of Fine Arts and Vice-Principal (Evening) in 1982. He held the posts of honorary Principal, Sharda Ukil School of Art, New Delhi and Vice President of The Indian Art Association, New Delhi. He was a member of the National Committee for India of the International Association of Art (UNESCO), Paris, and was President of the Society for Promotion of Yoga and Tantra (SOYOTAN), New Delhi.[citation needed]
He visited several European countries.[citation needed]
Awards and recognition
edit- World Telugu Conference, 1975 honoured as a distinguished artist and social worker.
- Sahitya Kala Parishad Samman in the field of Fine Arts in the year 1976-77,[3] which is bestowed to the distinguished Delhi based eminent artists of high professional order, Gurus for their significant and sustained creative contribution and artistic excellence in the field of performing and visual arts in the Capital for their contribution in the field of Art and Culture.
- International Award (first time to India) by the Government of Bulgaria for international Art Competition on "Humour and Satire", 1977.
- Visited Bulgaria on invitation as a distinguished guest at the Sixth International Bi-annual Festival of Humour and Satire in Arts, 1983.
- Author of a book - "BHARTIYA KALA AUR KALAKAR" published by Publications Division, New Delhi.[4]
- Awarded Fellowship from Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR), New Delhi for a book on Desist Veteran Artists –"KALA KE SAADHAK".
- All India Fine Arts & Craft Society (AIFACS), New Delhi honoured as Veteran Artist, for his contribution to Art, 1988.
Exhibitions, paintings and collections
editHis work was regularly displayed in important centres in India and abroad, and appeared in three one-man shows and many group shows and in sixteen state level exhibitions, six national exhibitions, and ten international exhibitions.
The notable collections of Swamy can be found in National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi; Lalit Kala Academy (Delhi), Chandighar Museum, Birla Museum, Russian Museum, Sahitya Kala Parishad, Ambassador of Korea, Govt. of Sri Lanka, Museum of Humor and Satire (Bulgaria), Sri Ghansham Das Birla, Hyderabad Museum, Lalit Kala Academy (A.P.), College of Art (Delhi), Salarjung museum (Hyderabad), Sangaria Museum (Jaipur), Shanti Niketan Museum, Shri Dharma Vira, ICS, Govt. of India (Education Ministry), D.C.M. and several personal collections in India and abroad.
References
edit- ^ Awardee of Sahitya Kala Parishad Samman in the field of Fine Arts in the year 1976-77 |access-date=4 September 2024 |
- ^ Kumaril Swamy, E. National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi, India.
- ^ Awardee of Sahitya Kala Parishad Samman in the field of Fine Arts in the year 1976-77 |access-date=September 4, 2024 |
- ^ "Bhartiya Kala aur Kalakar". www.publicationsdivision.nic.in. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
- "Ek mahan aatma aur kala darshnik ka nidhan". Kshetragya (obituary). 17 February 1994.
- "Bhartiya Kala manishi Kumaril Swamy ka nidhan". Hindustan (obituary): 3. 11 December 1993.
- "For whom life was an art". Weekend Newstime (tribute): 15. 26 December 1993.
External links
edit- "Digital Library of India". Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2016.
- "National Gallery of Modern Art". www.ngmaindia.gov.in. Retrieved 16 March 2016.