Jyoti Bhatt
(b.1934)
Jyoti Bhatt studied painting and printmaking at M. S. University in Baroda. Inspired by his mentor, artist K. G. Subramanyan, he explored academic divides between art and craft and eventually his interest in mural painting and fresco took him to Rajasthan. In the early sixties, Bhatt received a scholarship to further his studies at the Accademia de Belle Arti in Naples, Italy as well as the Pratt Institute in New York, where he was exposed to abstract expressionism. Bhatt’s early works reflected the cubist style, later shifting to pop art imagery, to finally arrive at a style inspired by traditional folk imagery. Though Bhatt worked in a variety of mediums including watercolour, and oils, it is his printmaking that ultimately garnered him the most attention. In 1966, Bhatt returned to MSU Baroda with a thorough knowledge of the intaglio process that he had gained at the Pratt Institute at Brooklyn, New York. During this period, he and his compatriots at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Baroda came to be known as ‘The Baroda School’ of Indian Art. During the latter part of the 60’s, Jyoti Bhatt developed his passion for documenting traditional Indian craft and design work after he was asked to photograph Gujarati folk art for a seminar. The disappearing arts of Gujarat became a focus and Bhatt’s investigations into folk and tribal designs influenced the motifs which he employed in his style of printmaking. Throughout Jyoti Bhatt’s long career as a teacher at the MSU Faculty of Fine Arts, he photo-documented the evolution of the university, the artistic endeavours of the students and teachers and the architecturally significant buildings of Baroda.
He is best known for his etchings, intaglio’s and screen prints through which he has explored and re-explored a personal language of symbols that stem from Indian culture; the peacock, the parrot, the lotus, stylized gods and goddesses and myriad variations on folk and tribal designs. Bhatt’s works have been displayed at a range of solo and group exhibitions, in India and overseas. He has received many National and International prestigious awards and honours including Padma Shri, Kalidasa Award, Hon. Doctorate and five lifetime achievement awards and attributes much of his success to the constant support and encouragement of his life partner, renowned ceramicist, (late) Ms. Jyotsna Bhatt. During his illustrious career, he had many solo and group exhibitions. Some of the recent solo shows include, The photographic eye of Jyoti Bhatt at Guild Art- Mumbai, Galerie88-Kolkata (2017); “ROOP- SWAROOP”, Exhibition of photographs at Satya Gallery, Ahmedabad(2017); Exhibition of photographs at Rukshaan Art Gallery,Mumbai (2017-18), “RE- INCARNATIONS”, Mini – Retrospective show of paintings, prints and photographs at ARK Gallery,Vadodara (2018); Print show at Bihar Museum, Patana (2019); THE INDIAN PORTRAIT-XI – Jyoti Bhatt’s Photographs of His Contemporaries, Amdavad ni gufa (2020). His recent group exhibitions include, “Subtextual Documentalists”, exhibition of artist’s Photographs, Vadodara, Mumbai, Delhi (2014-2015); Group Show, Gallery Jhaveri Contemporary, Nasreen ,Karia & Bhatt, Mumbai (2017); Group show at Sunaparanta Goa centre for the arts (2019); Show of Photographs at KIPF Kolkata International Photography Festival, Kolkata (2019); Show of Photographs curated by Ms. Nancy Adajania at Serendipity art festival, Goa (2019); Digital book and accordion book at LATITUDE 28, New Delhi (2020). Over the years, he has won some prestigious awards, some of the recent awards include, Life time achievement award from Prafulla Dahanukar Art Foundation, Mumbai (2017); and Savya Sachi, Vishwa Kosh Award, 2020.
