Strokes of Art: Portraits and Legacies of Gopal Deuskar

Introduction 

In the annals of the twentieth century, a brushstroke by a profound portraitist changed the trajectory of art remarkably, by interplaying old ideas with the new ones through his canvas. This skilled Maharashtrian artist established his career and identity by making thought-provoking portraits. The prolific artist Gopal Damodar Deuskar was born into a remarkably talented artistic family. Deuskar’s grandfather sculpted religious sculptures. Deuskar’s father instructed art at a school of Ahmednagar. He was born during the shift from colonial India to Independent India, with his influences and expressions balancing the emergence of modernity and the constraints of pre-modernity. 

Deuskar’s talent lay not in loud experimentation or extreme defiance, but in the enduring influence of portrait painting and murals. His brush conveyed order, while his gaze brought forth empathy. Through the faces he depicted—be it those of leaders, visionaries, or common individuals—he encapsulated personality, essence, and heritage. In his art, history transformed from an abstract concept into a living figure meeting your gaze, noble and vibrant. 

Roots and Beginnings 

Art that Speaks

Deuskar’s work can be categorised into three bifurcations–subject pictures, ‘normal’ portraits, and ‘Indian-style’ water-colour. The subject pictures can be apprised as paintings of symbolism, composition, and mood often embellished with western techniques and painting traditions. These works are mostly narrative or thematic, not portraits. Among the portraits, the works of Sir Akbar Hydari and Sir V T Krishnamachariar stand out as his most notable accomplishments. These pieces are clearly influenced by Western styles. According to W.E. Gladstone Solomon, Deuskar’s watercolour portrait titled ‘Raja and Rani’ showcases his delicate sensibility towards color and design, drawing from an instinct that is characteristically Indian, rather than relying on ancient or medieval traditions. His Academy artworks reveal that this adaptable young painter is influenced by both Eastern and Western styles. They combine elements of Oriental decoration and poetry with Western techniques and proportions. Each piece showcases Deuskar’s innate talent for pictorial composition and design, which is his greatest strength; thus, it is possible that this talented young artist’s efforts to blend and harmonize key aspects of Western and Eastern art could give rise to a new school of painting.

In Gopal Deuskar’s early art, his narrative through his paintings was straightforward and sound. He showcased work realistic and precise in stance, his portrait figure often in standard balance against the modulated background. His eminent contribution and work in the field of portraiture earned him the distinction of being the only Indian painter with five successive exhibitions in the Royal Academy of Arts, London. Deuskar’s art career began with the outbreak of the Second World War, and for many years, his voyage in the ocean of art was eternal.

Honours beyond Horizons

Gopal Deuskar and his elaborate range of recognition of his art earned him a position as the Deputy Director at his alma mater, that is, Sir J.J. School of Arts. Furthermore, Baroda Palace granted Deuskar the status of a ‘state artist’ and nudged him towards an independent and free-willed journey. He was open to the air of nobility and aristocratic romanticism through his paintings and the remarkable stroke of his brush. Adding layers of depth and dimension to his portraits, Deuskar spent fifteen years in the Baroda Palace. The individual uniqueness of rulers all across India, especially from Baroda to Jaipur, was captured wonderfully by Gopal Deuskar. Even after the royal princely palaces faded away, Deuskar remained in the limelight. 

Following India’s independence, Deuskar’s main patrons included prosperous business figures from various private and governmental entities. In 1955, a parliamentary committee selected Deuskar to create paintings. His creations hung with grandeur on the walls of Sansad Bhavan, Victoria Memorial Museum in kolkata, Rashtrpati Bhavan in Delhi, Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai, the Supreme Court, Mumbai’s high court, business leaders’ private homes, and myriad public structures. He also captured the likenesses of Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, which are displayed at India House in London, along with portraits of J.R.D. Tata, the Attorney General of India, M.C. Setalvad, authors like Acharya Atre and Chiplunkar, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, and notable figures from the Indian Army and Air Force. 

Strokes that Endure

The eminent portraitist was selected for the Lalit Kala Akademi in 1959 with eight other artists, and worked rigorously. In Fergusson College of Pune, he was offered a residence for his art. Herein, he donated myriad artistic pieces and portraits. Additionally, Deuskar beautifully completed ‘Karmayog’, a remarkable mural for the Tilak Samarak Mandir in Pune. Worried about the ongoing state of art education, the artist has remarked,

“The present education in art contributes nothing to give a solid grounding, that is required most to enter into the profession of an artist.  I don’t blame the teachers, neither the students. Today it is more or less a crime to paint academically or realistically.”

Deuskar integrated two divergent yet not necessarily antithetical modes of art together, and created wondrous pieces of art and portraits for a lifetime. From his intricate attention to detail of the attire and jewelry to vivid style and immense hard work, Gopal Deuskar has left a legacy for all the people in and outside the realm of art. 

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