Atul Dodiya

'Though Atul Dodiya briefly worked with abstraction, his preferred mode of expression is figurative. His early works were basically photo-realistic renderings of places and people he was familiar with. Later on an element of Pop imagery, especially in the use of D. Hockney-like pretension made its appearance in his paintings. The setting however remained autobiographical in nature, relying more on metaphor rather than reportage, with interludes of pure textural paint appearing amidst narrative sequences.'

(P. Sheth, Dictionary of Indian Art & Artists, Maplin Publishing Pvt. Ltd., 2006, p. 118)

Born and raised in Ghatkopar, a middle-class suburb of Mumbai, Atul Dodiya studied at the Sir J. J. School of Art. He graduated in 1982 with much fanfare, as his works clearly demarcated where Indian art stood at a crossroads, moving beyond the style of Modernism prevalent in the day. In essence, Dodiya developed an ironic Post-modernist aesthetic, a progenitor of many contemporary art practices in India today. His early canvases such as the current lot were focused on realism and the subjects were usually autobiographical. Dodiya made a small series of paintings depicting the world around him in a photorealist manner. 'Fascinated by the ability to recreate scenes as he saw them, he gained mastery over the genre of deadpan realism.' (A. Jhaveri, A Guide to 101 Modern and Contemporary Indian Artists, India Book House Pvt Ltd., Mumbai, 2005, p. 28)

Between 1991-1992 Dodiya gained a scholarship to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Whilst in Paris he became particularly influenced by the works of Francis Picabia, Sigmar Polke and David Salle. On his return to India, the artist stated "When I came back from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1992, I thought that there was nothing to look forward to. The European masters had already explored the art of painting in so many exceptional ways. Was there anything left for me to do? What difference could I make? Arun Kolatkar's and Sitanshu Yashaschandra's poetry gave me solace. And confidence. I realized that I should draw from my past, which is my own - it is different from anybody else's." (ART India Magazine, June 2011, Vol. XVI, Issue I). 

His works soon progressed into different media, making his early works which consist of simply oil and canvas very rare. Although Dodiya has successfully established a continued discourse within the international contemporary art world, his target audience is very much the everyday man on the streets of Mumbai. As commonplace as this newly painted bridge.