Akara Art

JERAM PATEL

Akara Modern

1930 -2016

Born in Gujarat, Jeram Patel studied drawing and painting at the Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai, and typography and publicity design at the Central School of Arts and Craft, London. He joined and taught the faculty of Fine Arts in Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU), Baroda and briefly even taught at National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad.

Patel’s memory still lives on as a pioneer of abstract art in India and is acclaimed for his contributions to the modern art scene in the 1950s and 1960s. His visual memoir began years before Patel discovered dark rhythmic patterns. What began as a twirl of the brush to create figures later developed to create contrasting abstract realism bordering on surrealism. He is known for his patented style of blowtorching wood to form carved hollows, as well as his iconic black strokes and layered shapes painted on paper with ink. As an artist who used unconventional tools, Patel had an uncanny ability to work with freedom while still retaining control over all the details and material. All his works have a striking sensual use of colour in sharp contrast with a rough texture of the burnt surface.

Patel was part of several organisation which included the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi; the Gujarat state Lalit Kala Akademi, the Royal Society of Arts, London and the School of Architecture, Ahmedabad. He has even held shows in London, New Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai and has represented India at various international art festivals such as the Tokyo Biennale of 1963. His works are featured in prestigious collections, including those at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. Jeram Patel has been a recipient of the National Award from the Lalit Kala Akademi in 1957, 1963, 1973, and 1984 and the National Award for Design in 1976.