Vrindavan Solanki

Vrindavan Solanki was born in Junagadh, Gujarat in 1942.He liked to call his diplomas, degrees and prizes as "bits of paper”. This focus and lack of ambiguity about his work is one of the reasons his art is totally original and not derivative of the styles associated with particular regions or institutions of learning. Solanki's paintings depict the men and women of Rajasthan in easy, flowing lines. His fascination with these people can be traced to his childhood when the children of the Rabari tribe of this State would visit his house. Typically, he drew them in black and white, capturing their innate beauty and the timelessness of their lifestyle. The faces however, are not the focus of his work, being either blinded by a glow or left blank. Instead, he concentrated greatly on their attire. His paintings have a photographic quality about them as he creates a play of light and shadow over the canvas. He holds a Diploma in Painting and a Post Diploma in Graphics, both from the M. S. University, Baroda. He is the recipient of many awards, the earliest being in 1966, when he got the First Prize from the Gujarat Lalit Kala Akademi, Ahmedabad. He has had over thirty solo exhibitions and close to twenty group exhibitions in India and abroad, over the last thirty years. Solanki lived and worked in Ahmedabad, in Gujarat. In 1969, his first solo show was at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, In 1981, Drawings, Taj Art Gallery, Mumbai; In 1991, Drawings, The Continetal Hotel Curepipe, Mauritius. He has also participated in many group shows including; In 1970, 35th Annual Art Exhibition, Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta; In 2004, Multiple Encounters, Manhattan Graphics Centre, New-York, USA; and in 2004, Art Trend Galleria, Hong-Kong.

His exhibit with us is titled Village Women (40x 66 inches), an acrylic on canvas made in the year 2021.