PREM SINGH

Prem Singh was born in 1943 and was the former Principal of the College of Art, Chandigarh. He is an ex-member of the Advisory Committee of the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. His works are in the collection of the NGMA, New Delhi, Lalit Kala, New Delhi, State Museum Madras, Government Museum Chandigarh and other public places and important collections.

Growing up in the bustling streets of Patiala in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Singh's talent for drawing was first noticed by his friends. Whether they were playing games during festivals or creating decorations for local fairs, Singh’s artistic flair naturally emerged. His childhood friends would often ask him to design diagrams for their games, and his reputation as a talented young artist spread among the local community. Though his parents were concerned that his love for art might interfere with his studies, they nevertheless supported his budding creativity.

Singh’s fascination with the image of the lion, a symbol deeply embedded in Indian culture, played a pivotal role in his development as an artist. From clay toys to embroidered phulkaris, the lion appeared in various forms around him, inspiring him to create his own interpretations. “Since then, I have been in the quest for my own lion,” Singh reflects, emphasizing how this early fascination laid the foundation for a lifelong journey of self-expression. The lion, as a cultural motif, became a symbol of both his personal and artistic identity—a figure whose various representations he sought to understand and redefine through his own eyes.

For Prem Singh, art is not something that can be confined to a particular project or trend. Instead, it is an ongoing, evolving process—an expression of his soul’s dialogue with the world around him. “Painting is an ongoing activity,” Singh asserts. “I don’t frame my art into projects.” His work draws heavily from the natural world, where he finds endless inspiration. The rhythms of nature, the celestial chorus of the universe, and the meditative moments of solitude are the wellsprings from which Singh’s creativity flows. In his paintings, he seeks to capture the quiet, often unnoticed beauty of the world, transforming everyday moments into something sacred.

Nature, for Singh, is not just a subject but a collaborator in his creative quest. His paintings, often reflective of serene and contemplative moments, speak to the connection between the manifest and the unmanifest elements of nature. Through his brushstrokes, Singh captures the silent, subtle activities of the world around him—whether it’s the chirping of birds at dawn or the interplay of light and shadow during twilight. His works invite the viewer into a space where time slows down, allowing them to engage with the quiet, rhythmic pulse of nature’s ever-present energy.