Gulam Rasool SANTOSH
1929–1997, India

Poet-painter Gulam Rasool Santosh, who came from the Kashmir valley, was born in 1929, to a lower middle class family. A prominent Kashmiri painter, Santosh was best known for his themes inspired by Kashmir Shaivism. In 1950, Santosh joined the Progressive Arts Association in Kashmir, formed as a result of painter S. H. Raza's efforts to mobilize Kashmiri painters. He showed across India as a member of this association. In 1954, he won the government scholarship to study Fine Arts under painter N. S. Bendre at the MS University, Baroda. In the mid 60s, when the Bengal School, which dominated art scene then, wanted to combine the contemporary with the traditional or Ajanta style of art, Santosh stuck to his own individual style and preferred to follow the thought behind the composition.

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