Gopal Adivrekar
An abstract painter, Gopal S.Adivrekar has taken the art of non-figurative painting to a new high. His canvases are unforgettable creations of colour. Born in 1938, in a small village of the Konkan(a district on the coast of Maharashtra)., Adivrekar came to Mumbai and joined the Sir J. J. School of Art to complete his graduation in 1963. He then went on to chart a distinguished career as an abstract painter. Adivrekar has been associated with the Lalit Kala Academi for a number of years. He has also served as an art designer with the Weavers Service Centre. For the past few years, he has held the post of Chairman of the Bombay Art Society. His influence on the art scene has been two-fold: both as an artist and as an organiser.
Adivrekar`s canvases bear the unmistakable stamp of genius and are sheer poetry in colour. The blue of the sea, the white of the surf, clouds, birds, golden sands and black rock glistening in the sun are all reminiscent of the beautiful coastal region that Adivrekar hails from. He has taken all these and transformed them into abstract art forms that are symbolic and divorced from naturalism. Powerful imagery and the wonderful blending of hues make his paintings a visual treat and a finely balanced piece of art.
Growing with time and having created works of art for nigh on four decades, Adivrekar departed slightly from the usual with his exhibition of paintings and sculptures in 1998. On display were fifteen sculptures, out of which the animal kingdom predominated with twelve representatives and the remaining belonged to the human species. The paintings too partook of the same themes, rendered in an abstract form and depicting a difference in style and approach on the part of the artist. Inherent in them were Adivrekar`s power of thought and inimitable artistry that make his painting a not-be-missed experience.
Gopal Adivrekar passed away in September 2008.
