100th Birth Anniversary (Indore, 18-20 August)
 Exhibition opening by painter- writer Prabhu Joshi |
 Exhibition opening |
 Kalapini Komkali at the exhibition |
 Photo by Subandhu Dube - Sculpture by John Doubleday, England |
 Exhibition visitors |
 Exhibition visitors |
Vishnu Dinkar Chinchalkar
Vishnu Chinchalkar – was an unusual artist. At the peak of his glorious career he was inspired by Gandhi. So, early on he left the “highway of fame” and trudged a lone trail. He renounced the tinsel world of colors. Instead he sought inspiration in nature and creativity in ordinary things. He saw “Christ” in a torn vest, “Monalisa” in a rubber slipper and the image of “Tagore” in a mango seed.
M. F. Husain and Bendre were his college mates, Kumar Gandharva, Pu La Deshpande and Baba Amte his dearest friends. They all revered him. Children adored him. He was universally called “Guruji”.
A map to this site
Biography |
Early Academic Works |
Quest for Form |
Guruji was born on 5th of September 1917, was sent to Indore school of Arts to study under the tutelage of D.D. Devlalikar. N.S. Bendre and M.F. Hussein were his seniors at the art school. |
Guruji’s early oils and canvases won many awards and accolades. But soon he gave up the studio to delve deep into nature’s own art forms. Often he said, “Nature creates, I just sign below.” |
Guruji’s genius lay in seeing the extraordinary in everyday things. He turned ALPHABETS into animals, acrobats and artifacts; made landscapes from leaves and petals; exquisite art from sweeping cobwebs. |
Art in Waste |
Experimental Work |
Publications |
Guruji saw “Christ” in a torn vest; “Monalisa” in a rubber slipper and “Tagore” in a mango seed. For these subversive acts he was dubbed a “renegade” until people realized that Picasso also created art from trash. |
Guruji experimented with plywood, bark, twigs, leaves and pods, driftwood, corncobs etc. In his own words,"The idea is to look for form which already existed in ones environs and introducing it to the layman". |
Guruji didn’t write much. His life was his message. “Live Simply that other’s may Simply Live,” was his message. His book "Khulte Akshar Khilte Ank" (“Blooming alphabets and Numerals”) says it all. |
Videos on Vishnu Chinchalkar
Story of a creative artist |
Artist Extraordinary |
