Dr Baldev Gambhir leaves behind enduring legacy
Baldev Gambhir, eminent artist and a towering figure in Amritsar's art landscape, passed away on January 26 due to age-related illnesses. The octogenarian, who became a pioneer in modern Indian landscape genre, had taken a break from art for the past few years and shifted to Jalandhar to stay close to his family.
As art fraternity from Amritsar reflected on the profound loss, tributes were paid to him by members and artists of Kausa Trust at KT Kala art gallery, where Dr Gambhir was a founder-member. Known for his experimental work in composition and technique, where he did not use conventional brush but tools like palette knives, blades and needles, to give a three-dimensional effect that resembled almost sculptural paint surfaces, Dr Gambhir was the first artist from Punjab to be selected nine times for a national award. He finally got an Honorary Mention at the National Awards in 1991 for his inventive art technique of creating behind-the-mirror effects in a painting. "His passion and finesse in textures on canvas remains unmatched till today and he has been a subject of study for art students in over 27 universities. He was deeply immersed in his work and used to travel to hills often to study and later draw them on his canvas. His work was mostly inspired by nature," shared Brajesh Jolly, Director, KT Kala art gallery and a close friend of Dr Gambhir. His work was seen as modern, passionate and mature by his peers and celebrated for its depth.
In Amritsar, Gambhir was popularly called Bhisham Pitamah of art by his students and art lovers. He was honoured with lifetime achievement award by the state government at the 50th Parkash Purb of Guru Nanak Dev.
Born in what is now Pakistan in 1943, Dr Baldev Gambhir studied at Government Arts College, Lucknow, and later taught at BBK DAV College for Women in Amritsar. He has held over 500 and more exhibitions in his lifetime and is the recipient of Punjab Kala Akademi Award as well. Gambhir came to Amritsar in 1973 and started with a few shows, workshops and later turned to teaching art. He continued working as a freelance artist after his retirement from BBKDAV College for Women.
Once, asked about his fetish with naming his art series after number 69, Dr Gambhir had replied, "69, I believe, is a figure symbolising extreme love, and here it depicts my extreme love for nature. I paint with all my heart and soul, and the result may not be the same every time, but the intentions are." He often called his work with unconventional tools 'exciting' and admitted that the result on canvas, more than often, left him feeling 'ecstatic'.
