Collection: Late Prof. Sukhveer Singhal

Pioneer of Indian Wash Painting, Scholar of Aesthetics & Philosophy.

Prof. Sukhveer Singhal (1914–2006), born on 14 July 1914 in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, was a pioneering Indian artist and philosopher who revolutionized the wash painting technique by infusing it with the essence of Indian aesthetics and rasa theory. A student of Asit Kumar Haldar at the Government School of Arts and Crafts, Lucknow, he mastered fine arts in 1936 and studied classical music under Pt. Bholanath Bhattji.

In 1938, he founded the Allahabad School of Art (later Kala Bharti Parishad), an institution that integrated painting, sculpture, music, dance, and handicrafts. As an educator and administrator, he served as Professor and Principal of the Government School of Arts and Crafts and established the Department of Painting at Allahabad University.

His innovative spirit led to the Indianization of Chinese and Japanese wash techniques, development of tapestry and lacsit painting methods, and a creative pedagogical model detailed in his seminal book Bhartiya Chitrakala Paddhati (1985).

Recipient of numerous national awards including from AIFACS and Lalit Kala Akademi, his works—such as the Marriage Series, River of Life, and Gandhi Series—embody a poetic union of Indian spirituality and artistic modernity.

A member of several national art councils and a contributor to India’s freedom movement, Prof. Sanghal also gave art lessons to former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and V. P. Singh. His philosophical manuscript Evolution of Art and Artist (in three volumes) remains an enduring testimony to his intellectual depth.

Posthumously, his legacy continues to be celebrated through exhibitions and workshops, including “The Silent Canvas Speaks Again” (IIC New Delhi, 2025) and multiple tributes by Kala Bharti Trust, reaffirming his status as a visionary who bridged tradition and modernity in Indian art.