S. Gujral was born in 1925 in Jhelum, India. At 8 years old he was bedridden for 6 years due to an accident, which also temporarily impede his hearing. In 1944, he joined the JJ School of Arts in Bombay where he met the members of the Progressive Artists Group. However, Gujral rejected the PAG’s brand of modernism and searched for a traditional identity. Later he went to Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City where he explored painting large fresco murals.
Gujral was one of the very few artists who produced a body of works that drew attention to the plight of people who lost homes and families in the riots and mob violence during the partition. He drew on the melancholy and poignancy of the situation where humanity and friendships were altered forever. In early 1950’s his works exhibit a strong expressionist brushwork which he developed while in Mexico. Gujral’s works arched towards abstraction around the late 1950’s portraying scenes of extra-terrestrial objects in the space. Sculpture par excellence, he used a variety of industrial materials in steel, copper, glass & enamel in his works. Later, his canvases embraced distinct lines which perhaps reflected a quieter phase in his own life.
Gujral received many awards including The Order of the Crown from the Belgian Government and the Padma Vibhushan by the Indian Government. There are also four books of his works including an autobiography in the popular media.
The artist passed away on 26 March 2020.
