Rajendra Amodrao Patil, lovingly well-known as ‘Para’ is a multifaceted artist-pedagog whose work and influence parallelly ripples alike through art galleries and art institutions. Admirably hailed as an ‘Artist- Philosopher’ by eminent writer Vijay Tendulkar, Para’s work- founded on the basis of pure, concrete abstraction with vibrant, layered color fields and objects inspired by his boyhood and personal experiences brings an esoteric, vast spaciousness – questioning the boundless known and unknown. In the field of abstract painting, it is rare to see such individual, original work shaped by a great sense of formal understanding, thoughts, and emotions.
ARTIST
Rajendra Patil ( Para )
Biography
Rajendra Amodrao Patil, lovingly well-known as ‘para’ is a multifaceted artist-pedagog whose work and influence parallelly ripples alike through art galleries and art institutions. Admirably hailed as an ‘Artist- Philosopher’ by eminent writer Vijay Tendulkar, Para’s work- founded on the basis of pure, concrete abstraction with vibrant, layered color fields and objects inspired by his boyhood and personal experiences brings an esoteric, vast spaciousness - questioning the boundless known and unknown. The tools and objects originated and carried forward in cultural, and industrial evolution holds a major and recurring subject matter on the matured, subdued color fields of the paintings.
Inspired by his native and rural connections from his boyhood days in Chopda, Maharashtra, or many interactions with the working class chawls of Bombay, the apparition-like flowing appearance of anvils, sickles, ax heads, forge, chisels, stones, spades in the paintings embody an engulfing experience, questioning the active and passive, subject and object. The instruments in Patil's paintings also speak to local, alternative, and subaltern histories of violence, exploitation, labor, and resistance that are frequently left out of mainstream historical accounts. His participation and foregrounding of the tool also elevate the working class, asking the viewer to participate in the work with a subtle yet provoking visual where personal history and cultural intricacy converge.
In the field of abstract painting, it is rare to see such individual, original work shaped by a great sense of formal understanding, thoughts, and emotions. The formal structures in the work hint at the petroglyphs or the pictographs of the aboriginal people, Patil speaks through the floated figures of anvils, bellows, and hammers- dwelling on the emotion of hope and fear embedding physical and psychological time. The works converse with us in an evolving and continued perception, microscopic details of silence and boldness emerge as we spend time with the works.
Spanning over three decades of masterful works in various mediums like oil, acrylic, terracotta, and metal casting, his works are testimonial to the artist's personal language, inviting into a metaphysical narrative strongly based on materiality and brilliance over the medium. As important as his artistic pursuits are Para's contributions as an art teacher. Molding the brains and skills of many students since his 1992 employment as a lecturer at the esteemed Sir J.J. School of Art and an inspiring art practitioner, Rajendra Pail has had a profound influence on India's contemporary art scene. His everlasting love and dedication to the arts are demonstrated by his simultaneous commitment to teaching and active art practice.
Among his numerous participations in exhibitions and displays, major ones include- ‘The Jerusalem Biennale 2019 represented by Lalit Kala Akademi along with renowned names like Anjolie Ela Menon, Arapana Caur, Rini Dhumal, Satish Gujral, and many others, ‘History and Voyage’ group show at NGMA Mumbai, organized by Bombay Art Society and many other group and solo exhibitions. Among his number of accolades, he was awarded the Kala Ratna award by the Kalaparv Foundation (2015), and he was appointed as the Chairman of Kaladeep at Sir JJ School of Art (2016). The works are part of many national and international prestigious collections of individuals and institutions like Usha Mirchandani, Shimul Javeri to Pundole Art Gallery, ABN AMRO bank, and many other corporate entities as well. His works are extensively collected in many private collections in the UK, Germany, and the USA.