Suhas Bahulkar

Suhas Bahulkar's paintings are the outcome of his childhood memories; the nostalgia over the vanishing culture of his formative years. He was greatly inspired by the traditional Maharashtrian lifestyle - the style of dress, in particular the "nauwari" (a nine-yard saree) and the old "wadis" (the traditional home of this State), with their faded murals and broken walls, representations of which find a place in his work.

The imagery in Bahulkar's paintings is that of a superimposition of sepia-toned family portraits, set against a backdrop of the traditional architecture of Maharashtra. A predominance of the use of gold foil in his works is symbolic of the richness of the era that he depicts. He prefers not to restrict himself to any one, specific medium. "I decide on the subject and choose a medium accordingly." He is very particular about the technical aspects of his paintings. For him, the medium varies with the look, texture or any other particular quality that he wants the painting to ultimately have. He has worked with acrylic, oil and watercolours, and has also experimented with paper, canvas and wood. The timeworn, weathered look of his paintings extends to his frames as well, in order to convey an overall effect of age.

Born in 1954 in Pune, Bahulkar obtained a diploma in Painting from the Sir J.J School of Art, Mumbai, in 1975. He has exhibited his works in India and internationally, his most recent one being in Hong Kong, in 1999. He lives and works in Mumbai.

"The remnants of the traditional lifestyle of my youth stir my memories, and I am transported into this bygone era."