ARTISTS PROFILE
JERAM PATEL
Jeram Patel, who earned renown as an abstractionist, was among those artists who rebelled against modernistic approaches and altered the Indian art scene of the 1960s by formulating a new visual identity and method of abstraction.
Born in Sojitra, Gujarat, Patel studied drawing and painting at Sir J. J. School of Art, Bombay (1950-55), and typography and publicity design at Central School of Arts and Craft, London (1957-59). He was one of the twelve founder members of Group 1890 who, according to their manifesto, believed in ‘the reality of the image rather than the image of reality’. The group was short-lived but it’s ideals persisted, evolving an individual vocabulary in the works of each of its members.
Patel’s syntax involved abstraction of the image and its manifestation in an evocative and potent language, of which the most well-known works are his black-and-white drawings and paintings in ink, and blowtorch and burnt wood works. A striking aspect of his blowtorch and burnt wood works was the sensuous use of colour in sharp contrast to the rough texture of the burnt area.
Drawing remained of primary importance to Patel throughout his career and his works were widely exhibited in India and abroad, including the Sao Paolo Biennale in 1963 and 1977. He was a recipient of the Lalit Kala Akademi’s national award in 1957, 1963, 1973, and 1984, and the national award for design in 1976. He passed away in Vadodara on 18 January 2016.