Kripal Singh Shekhawat
Kripal Singh Shekhawat, a majestic craftsman, has taken the fine art of blue pottery
to unbelievable heights.
Personal Profile
Although he was born in Rajasthan in the year 1922, his destiny took him to the
far flung Shantiniketan (West Bengal), Rabindranath Tagore's famous art school.
He studied art there and after that he pursued a Diploma in Oriental Arts from Tokyo
University.
In 1955, he started a mural on the life of Mahatma Gandhi in the fresco technique
at Birla House. In 1963, he became Director of the Sawai Ram Singh Shilpa Kala Mandir
at Jaipur where he taught Indian Painting and Blue Pottery.
A distinguished traditional artist, Kripal Singh's paintings are poetic. They carry
the expression of the traditional and early styles of painting with bold innovations
in a delicate and refined manner. His works also claim an important historical place
in the organic evolution of traditional paintings. There is no one who can create
his style of painting with great detail he has shown the birds, clothes, animal,
flowers which shows the dedication with he creats a real painting.
He revived the art of blue pottery which had become dead. He made many changes with
the designs. It was due to his hard work that the blue pottery has reached the pinnacle.
Artistic Achievements
He was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri in 1974. Many decades later, he was also
honoured with the title "Shilp Guru" by Government of India in 2002.
