Last month saw the demise of Artist Akbar Padamsee, who has been rated in the art world as one of the pioneers of Modern Indian art and who had managed to remain fiercely experimental and individualistic in his output. Known to have excelled in all genres of Indian art, ranging from oils to plastic emulsion to water colour, printmaking, sculpture, computer graphics, and photography, he is known to have excelled in all of them. In his early years, the works of this master were expressed in landscapes that depicted a quasi-spiritual style of depiction. His oils have been noted for their depth and intensity as also luminescence while his drawings exuded grace. Known for his choice of sombre hues, he imbued his works with a rich poetic quality. An artist who has ridden across all genres, Padamsee even tried his hand at film making which were animated with his geometric drawings. His later works were around the human figure.
The late artist was the winner of several prestigious awards both national and international, including the Padma Bhushan in 2010, the Lalit Kala Akademi Medal, the JD Rockefeller Foundation (1965), the Lalit Kala Ratna Puraskar in 2004 and the Kailash Lalit Kala Award in 2010. The artist passed away in Coimbatore at his residence
