Description :

Baburao Sadwelkar (28 June 1928 – 23 November 2000) was an Indian painter, art writer, educator and administrator. He is known for his portraits, landscape, surreal and abstract paintings.

In 1948, he got an opportunity to see a demonstration by renowned Bombay artist S. L. Haldankar at the Rajaram Art Society in Kolhapur. This was when Sadwelkar decided to study painting. His father was against it but his mother mortgaged her jewellery and sent him to Mumbai for art education. Initially he studied at the Haldankar's Fine Art Institute and appeared for the exams of the Sir J. J. School of Art. Working hard to earn a living on the side, he got admitted to the fourth year of the school in 1950 and gained reputation as a smart student in a short time. When he was a student at the J. J. School of Art, the teachers who taught there were accomplished in academic realism, Indian revivalism and modern art streams. At this time, the Bombay Progressive Artists' Group was also formed which gained recognition for their experimental and rebellious art. Gradually, Sadwelkar's inclination towards modern art informed his landscapes, portraits and compositions.

In 1952, he graduated G. D. in Art and received a fellowship. During this time, he was influenced by the painter Paul Klee and the philosopher J. Krishnamurti. He became interested in understanding the various art forms and art movements of the western world and tried to paint in that style. At the end of the fellowship, Sadwelkar and his contemporary painters like V. S. Gaitonde, Mohan Samant, Ambadas Khobragade, Tyeb Mehta and many other young painters were struggling artists. Everyone gathered at the Artists’ Center in Mumbai and discussed about their work. In 1956, he formed the Bombay Group along with K. H. Ara, K. K. Hebbar, Shiavax Chavda, Laxman Pai, D. G. Kulkarni, Mohan Samant and Harkishan Lall. He organized several group exhibitions on behalf of the group until it was dissolved 1962. As an art educator, he brought a modern outlook to art education at the Sir J. J. School of Art after learning about the American art education model under a Fulbright Scholarship in 1962–63. Sadwelkar was also passionate about the art tradition of Maharashtra and the art history of the Sir J. J. School of Art. From 1975 to 1986, he served as the Director of Art for Maharashtra State where the preservation and propagation of this artistic tradition prospered under his guidance. He wrote extensively about the art and artists from the state and which are considered as important art publications.