personal & contact details
Sudhir Atmaram Katkar
104, Deep Residency, Jerbai wadia road, bhoiwada,
Mumbai – 400 012. Maharashtra. India.
tel. # (cell)09892896841.
e-mail sudhirakatkar@gmail.com, sudhirakatkar@redmiffmail.com
web www.sudhirkatkar.com

Sudhir Katkar - Portrait & Contemporary Artist
Dedication, creativity and hard work are the words which define a phenomenal journey of a world-class painter Sudhir Katkar. Born in a lower middle class family in Parel, Mumbai, Sudhir’s story replicates the typical rags to riches metaphor where he has worked hard to climb up the ladder of success.

Since his early childhood days, Sudhir was fascinated with cinema posters and that is exactly how his artistic journey began. From a humble beginning where Sudhir used to paint cinema under a pipal tree for earning the fees for his education at ‘The JJ School of Arts’, today he is recognized as India’s finest artist.

Over 32 years of experience and with more than 2000 portraits to his credit, Sudhir has carved a niche for himself in Indian contemporary art world. He is as a winner of a number of prestigious awards including the Governor’s Award of the Bombay Art Society in 1975.

As a painter, he has his unique style that sets him apart from others. He paints portraits using only three colours in his palette for the skin no matter how dark or fair the person is. He prefers sitting with the person so as to enable him to capture the mood and lend a personal touch to his paintings. Sudhir prefers oil paints over water colours.

As a portrait artist, Sudhir prospered after making one of the most beautiful murals on the Quit India Movement for the Congress centenary celebrations. He also had the opportunity to work on the portrait of the Late Rajiv Gandhi capturing the young leader. While Sudhir considers his claim to fame being the much appreciated portrait of business tycoon Late Aditya Birla which till date adorns the Birla Residence at Malabar Hill. Apart from these eminent Indians, his unique style has brought him abundant success with commissions pouring in from various museums, corporate bodies in India and abroad and numerous industrialists and business families. His portrait also includes several prominent personalities like Pranlal Bhogilal and Parmanand Patel. Sudhir’s work is seen on the walls of palaces of various Sheikhs and Sultans from the Middle Eastern nations. One such portrait is that of Sultan Quboos Bin Said, the Sultan of Oman. Another impressive work of the painter is the portrait of Chatrapati Shivaji that he worked on after conducting extensive research on his costumes, knives, headgears etc. Most of his clients echo the feeling that he brings ‘life’ to all his paintings.

As his paintings speak for themselves, Sudhir is usually booked in advance for portraits. Apart from portraits that Sudhir is recognized for, he is also a master with abstract paintings. He has covered the tradition and culture of Maharashtra through temples, villages, festivals and fisherwomen. Sudhir is inspired by the picturesque of Ladakh and Himalayas has captured the beauty of landscapes, people, monasteries and sports on the canvas. His latest work on Kerala focusing on the water surroundings is thoroughly eye-catching.

Talking about his work, Sudhir Katkar firmly believes -
“An introduction to my visual world can be understood visually. My inspiration is derived from the general masses who are really down to earth people. The sordid colours of their lives don’t come in the limelight without the focus on them. I try to bring out the mellow tales of their lives by bringing bright colours in my work. I try to portray the darker side by brightness, the sunshine, the ethical happiness of little things on the canvas with life, and this goes on...”