Artist of the Collection · Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Bhaskaran
A painter of distilled forms, strong colour and observed feline character.
The collection record identifies the artist as Bhaskaran and includes a stylised cat painting. Its subject and handling align with the documented cat series of Chennai-based painter R. B. Bhaskaran; this profile uses that identification cautiously and records the collection’s shorter artist name.
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The artist
The cat as a vivid presence
In the collection work, a reclining cat is reduced to a black silhouette and rhythmic white markings against orange. This economy of shape connects to the cat series for which R. B. Bhaskaran is widely known.
Awards & honours
Biography
Biography
R. B. Bhaskaran was born in Madras in 1942 and studied advanced painting at the Government College of Arts and Crafts, Madras, from 1960 to 1966. His training also included fresco at Banasthali and printmaking in Israel and England.
His work has explored cats, couples and other figurative subjects. He has resisted the idea that an artist must establish a prescribed cultural identity through painting, describing that identity as something that can emerge naturally from the work.
Biography synthesised from museum, gallery and institutional profiles.
Selected exhibitions
Exhibitions & projects
Third Triennale-India (1975)
Bhaskaran participated in the international contemporary art exhibition.
Echoes of Freedom: The Art of R. B. Bhaskaran
An NGMA outreach programme presented a discussion on the artist and his practice.
Saraswati Foundation
In the collection
Explore works attributed to Bhaskaran in the Foundation collection.
Artwork 13
View artworkPaintings in the collection
Research & further reading
Jawahar Kala Kendra — R. B. Bhaskaran · Artem Affairs — R. B. Bhaskaran · The Village Gallery — exhibition catalogue