ABOUT UMAKANT TAWDE

A path to Buddhism

A young and budding talent in the world of Indian art, Umakant Tawade has already made his name as a contemporary figurative painter to be reckoned with. Umakant is best known for his series of paintings that depict figures, with extremely expressive faces that show each one’s distinct and individual characteristics. The central monk-like figures seem to be involved in absorbing relationships with the others around them as well as with their environments. Tawade’s lines are strong and insistent and his canvases ring with predominantly dark browns and ochres but do occasionally reveal bright patches of color in the clothing or through a window. Still very fresh on the scene, Umakant Tawade is firmly on the path to developing a very individual style for himself. There are the traditional and popular portrayals of Buddhas, and then there are contemporary Indian artist Umakant Tawde’s mesmerizing paintings of Buddhas. He first focused on Buddhas as a way to process his personal challenges and counter the tumult of city life in Mumbai, entering a meditative zone while painting their calm and spiritual presence. This process manifests a soothing energy across his work.

Since then, art by Umakant Tawde has expanded to include hyperrealistic scenes of Tibetan Buddhists. Inspired by his experience visiting and photographing Bylakuppe, a Tibetan settlement near Bangalore, he captures nuanced vignettes of monastic life punctuated by bold splashes of the monks’ red and orange robes. His original paintings often incorporate various symbols of one’s spiritual journey such as the prayer wheel, prayer flags, the ‘gyan’ mudra, the lotus and of course Lord Buddha.

Umakant Tawde graduated with a BFA from the Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Arts in Mumbai. He has had several solo shows in India, and he has exhibited abroad in Singapore and Dubai.