Gieve Patel

Gieve Patel is a self-taught Indian artist, general physician, poet, and playwright. Through his art, Patel explores the intricate interplay between rural and urban experiences within the context of the post-colonial era, offering a compassionate portrayal of ordinary moments and individuals.

Biography of the Gieve Patel

Gieve Patel was born in Mumbai in 1940. He obtained his medical degree from Grant Medical College in Mumbai and began his writing career with the release of his collection of poems, launched by Nissim Ezekiel in 1966.

Patel gained public recognition for his Politician series, painted in the late 1960s and early 1970s. After the Politician series, Patel's well-known artworks are his Railway Platform series. The inspiration for these paintings stemmed from Patel's time spent sitting on a bench at a suburban railway station, observing the arrival and departure of trains. One intriguing aspect of these paintings is the absence of human figures on the platform, rendering them completely unmanned.

In 1966, Patel held his first art exhibition at Mumbai's Jehangir Art Gallery, and since then, he has showcased his works in several significant exhibitions both within India and internationally. In addition to his paintings, Patel delved into sculpture and presented his first sculpture exhibition in 2010.

Throughout his illustrious career, Patel has received several prestigious accolades and grants. In 1984, he was honored with the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, followed by the Rockefeller Fellowship in 1992. In 2003, he was the C.R. Parekh Writer-in-Residence, Norman Foundation Grant at the University of Pennsylvania.

Gieve Patel currently resides and continues his creative endeavors in Mumbai.

Gieve Patel's Art Style

Gieve Patel's art style often leans towards abstraction. The art historian Karin Zitzewitz wrote that Patel's mastery "is demonstrated not through virtuosity or monumentality, but rather through the calm, controlled, and deliberately visible decisions made by the painter."

Gieve Patel fearlessly embraces vibrant non-naturalistic colors even in his depictions of death and decay. Regardless of the subject matter, his paintings exude striking energy through his bold use of hues. 

Patel's sculptures encompass two overarching themes, drawing inspiration from both ancient Indian epics and Greek mythology. One of these themes revolves around the story of Ekalavya in the Mahabharata, specifically focusing on Ekalavya's hand and broken thumb. The second theme derives from the tale of Daphne in Greek mythology. These sculptures depict the state of semi-transformation, where Daphne's body undergoes a metamorphosis into a tree to escape the lust of the god Apollo.