J SWAMINATHAN

Known for establishing the multi-arts complex, Bharat Bhavan, in Bhopal, and for foregrounding tribal art on the Indian art horizon, Jagdish Swaminathan took up the arts professionally later in life, despite an early aptitude towards drawing and painting.

Born in Simla on 21 June 1928, Swaminathan joined a pre-medical course in Delhi but left it for the restless life of a political agitator, social activist, journalist, and writer of children’s short stories. Before Independence, he joined the Congress Socialist Party, and later the Communist Party of India. However, by the mid-1950s, he became disillusioned with politics and returned to painting.

Swaminathan studied art briefly at Delhi Polytechnic and, later, at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw on a scholarship. His earlier works showed an inclination towards the neo-tantric trends. In the late ’60s, as Swaminathan began to probe the relation of colour to space and studied Pahari miniatures, he came up with the Colour Geometry of Space series which was followed by the Bird, Mountain, Tree and Reflection paintings. In 1962, he spearheaded the formation of Group 1890. He also brought out the journal, Contra ’66, that called for reformation of Indian art.

While working at Bharat Bhavan and its art museum, Roopankar, Swaminathan supported the rich tribal art of Madhya Pradesh. He helped bring tribal artist Jangarh Singh Shyam to national and international consciousness. Swaminathan served as director of Roopankar till 1990, returning to Delhi thereafter. He passed away on 25 April 1994.