Vasudeo S. Gaitonde calls his work "non-objective" and believes that "there is no such thing as abstract art." His work is known for its spiritual quality and characteristic silence that is as meditative as it is eternal and momentous.
Gaitonde was born in Maharashtra in 1924 and received his diploma from the Sir J. J. School of Art in 1948. He was a part of the Progressive Artists Group.
Considered one of the India's foremost abstractionists (though he is known to dismiss the label), Gaitonde's works are known for evoking subliminal depths. Plain, large surfaces with paint layered subtly characterise his work. His paintings have a quality of light that seems to be complete in itself.
He had several solo exhibitions in India and abroad and participated in group shows like the Indian art exhibition which toured East European countries in 1956 and other group exhibitions at Graham Gallery in New York in 1959 and Gallery 63 in New York in 1963.
Art, for Gaitonde, is a process complete in itself and in exploring his inner spaces and transient realities it helps him move towards himself. A non-conformist, Gaitonde always kept himself away from anything that would be extraneous to his identity as a painter. He as evolved as painter who is increasingly more meticulous in the presentation of his identity.
His work is represented in several Indian and foreign collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York. He was awarded the first prize at the Young Asian Artists' Exhibition, Tokyo in 1957 and the Rockefeller Fellowship in 1964. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1971.
Gaitonde lived and worked from New Delhi, he passed away in August 2001.
