BEGINNINGS
1924 Born in Kuthuparamba, North Malabar, Kerala State.
He spent his childhood in different parts of Kerala
He started drawing and painting early, inspired by painted
wood sculpture of Kerala temples. 1932 Moved to the
French administered town of Mahe in North Malabar. 1936
Mahe being an asylum of various political activists,
Subramanyan got drawn into youth clubs and study groups
of Marxist Orientation. Read a lot, drew and made small
laterite carvings. 1937 Got introduced to world Art
through issues of L`Illustration, a French Journal.
Gets introduced to the Indian art scene thro issues
of The Modern Review. Admired the works of Abanindranath
Tagore and Nandalal Bose. Read a lot of English and
Malyalam poetry. 1938 Read about Indian thought and
religion: Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Annie Besant, Madam
Blavatsky. Learned French and Sanskrit at school. Got
interested in Gandhian Ideology through `My Experiments
with Truth` and `Hind Swaraj` by Gandhiji. D.P. Roy
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EDUCATION
- 1933 Took admission in the English School at Mahe
in 4th standard.
- 1939 Passed Matriculation, entered St. Aloysius
College, Mangalore, for further studies.
- 1941 Entered Presidency College to study B.A.(Hons.)
in Economics.
- 1944-48 Studied at Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan.
- 1955-56 British Council Research Scholarship to
Slade School of Art, where he also he learnt print
making, University of London.
EXHIBITIONS
- 1953 Participated in the `Indian Art` exhb., USA.
- 1955 Silpi Chakra, New Delhi (Also in 1958).
- 1956 Solo show at the Jehangir art Gallery, Bombay.
- 1956 `Three Artists` exhb. Hitchin, UK.
- 1959 Exhb. at Jehangir Art Gallery, Bombay.
- 1960 Exhibition of designed textile at Bombay and
New Delhi.
- 1961 Participated in the Sao Paulo Biennale, Brazil.
- 1961 Exhb. at Jehingir Art Gallery, Bombay.
- 1963 Solo show at New Delhi.
- 1964 Participated in the Tokyo Biennale, Japan.
- 1964 Participated in the `Ten Indian Artist`, USA.
- 1965 Textile paintings, mural and woven hangings
shown in the New York World Fair.
- 1966 Solo Show of paintings, Bombay.
- 1967 Solo Show of works, Gallery Navina, New York.
- 1968 Participated in the 1st Indian Triennale.
- 1969 Solo show of paintings in Bombay.
- 1971 Solo show in Delhi of Polytichs executed since
1968.
- 1972 Solo show of terracotta reliefs in Delhi.
- 1976 Menton Biennale, France.
- 1978 Solo show in Delhi of new
COLLECTION
- Ebrahim Alkazi & Art Heritage, New Delhi.
- J.J.School of Art, Bombay.
- Natonal Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi.
- Punjab University, Chandigarh.
- Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
AWARDS
- 1957, 59 Received Prize, Bombay Art Society, Bombay.
- 1961 First Prize, Maharashtra State Exhb.
- 1965 National Award.
- 1968 Gold Medal, First Indian Triennale.
- 1975 Awarded `Padma Shri` by Govt. of India. Elected
to the World Craft Council.
- 1981 Received Kalidas Samman.
- 1985 Fellow, Lalit Kala Akademi.
- 2004 Lalit Kala Ratna, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi.
STYLE
`Subramanyan`s contact with surface, whether it is
brush, tool or hand, is always light. just as his eye
does not probe - it receives signals quickly - it follows
that laying out of surface and countour is rapid, no
time is spent obscuring the process. This preference
was developed from an apprenticeship at Santiniketan
and the influence of far eastern work ethics: of working
spontaneously and discarding whatever is deficient or
inappropriate, of the calligraphic principle as a life-force
embodying energy, and as a forming device`. Nilima Sheikh.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
1951-59 Taught at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja
Sayajirao, University, Baroda as a junior colleague
in the team of Markhand Bhatt, Sankho Chaudhri and N.S.
Bendre. 1961 Moved back to Baroda, as Reader in the
Painting Dept., Faculty of Fine Arts. 1966 Became the
Professor of Painting, Faculty of fine Arts, Baroda.
1968 Became a Dean for 5 years tenure in, Faculty of
Fine Arts, Baroda. 1977 Visiting Fellow at the Visva
Bharati, Santiniketan. 1980 Professor of Painting and
Design, Kala Bhavan, Santiniketan. 1987-88 Christensen
Fellow, St. Catherine`s College, Oxford. 1989 Professor
Emeritus, Visva Bharati, Santiniketan.
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