About

Avinash Godbole graduated from the Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai, in 1966. He taught in the same institute before working as a creative director in some of the top agencies across the country.

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All along, his forte was and continues to be his illustrations. His works have been part of magazines and newspapers for over 30 years.

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He was inducted to the Commercial Artists Guild (CAG), a prestigious award of the Advertising world, Hall of fame in the year 1999 amongst others.

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Godbole, though actively involved in advertising, always had painting as his first love. He continued to paint all along, though his hectic schedule didn’t leave him enough time to devote towards creating a large body of works for exhibitions. However, he has been showing his works regularly in galleries in Mumbai since 1997. His works deal with a wide range of subjects, his main concern being ‘life’. One can also see that the artist draws heavily from different Indian genres, like Tantra, the Kamasutra, and various folk traditions.

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In 2001 he had a stroke and he could no longer use his right hand, not to be deterred by this he simply trained himself to use his left hand. Today he not only paints but also sculpts using his left hand. Looking at his works one cannot discern that he is not a natural left handed person!

Godbole has translated his experiences with stroke into a series of paintings that map as to how he dealt with stroke and the various remedies he tried and how he came to terms with it.

For his last show in 2014 his works were inspired by his own recovery from a stroke. These paintings cover diverse subjects ranging from philosophy, explorations of the human mind and resurgence from pain. What binds them together is the presence of emotions; whether it be the musician singing a soulful song or a human head - each conveys passion.

 

The choice of colours is bold and the strokes strong and unwavering. Together they create paintings that not only move the viewer but stun with their intensity.

Godbole’s technique is expressive but his subjects introspective, as he deals with deep existentialist questions. The subjects are pared down to the very core = what does it all mean?

How does one tackle the flesh? The desires, the unsaid wishes.They are of diverse subjects but what binds them together is the presence of emotions; be it the musician singing a soulful song or a head, each conveys a passion.

The artist passed away in 2022.