Amit Ambalal

Creating diverse visual narratives through watercolours and oil, Amit Ambalal artworks attempt to dialogue with the common man. He is one of the radical modern and contemporary Indian painters from Gujarat, India. In 1991, Ahmedabad’s Doordarshan released a seminal documentary Chitrakar Amit Ambalal, documenting and broadcasting his artistic journey.

Born 1943, Ambalal studied commerce and law while managing his family business until the age of 36. Subsequently, in 1979, Ambalal’s passionate pursuit of painting began after dissolving his business—to not come back to it! Holding onto his childhood dream, his artistic forms compulsively follow a childlike fashion of rendering. The chief human and animal figures in a variety of poses seemingly appear to be static, like in some sort of a frozen theatrical moment.

Observing his works, one tends to trace many influences from not only history and mythology but also daily experiences. Suffused with irony, wit and sarcasm, the raw and colourful blend in his practice is contextually honest and pragmatic. Being a serious discourse, the utility of humour is what sets apart his work from the rest in the league of such artistic representations. Ambalal has also painted Nathdwara miniature paintings for more than a decade. He has authored a book, Krishna as Shrinathji, Rajasthani Paintings from Nathdwara published in 1987. As a redefined approach, his modern folk tales deliberately represent tradition to sneak, analyse and convey contemporary concerns. 

In the late seventies, Ambalal co-founded Contemporary Painters Group in Ahmedabad and has been a part of educational institutions like Bharat Bhavan, NlFT, Gandhinagar, NGMA, New Delhi, among others. Organising art camps at various reputed venues, Ambalal has exhibited his works worldwide. He was a recipient of the Gujarat State Lalit Kala Akademi Award in 1968 and Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellowship, Italy, in 1999.

Amit Ambalal lives and works in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.