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For a man whose disciplines were many – painting, poetry, plays, sculpting, medicine – Gieve Patel’s proficiency in each was enviable.
Born in 1940, pursuing medicine for most of his adult life, turning to art in his twenties and acquiring cultish respect in whatever form he turned to, Patel died Friday.
He left a legacy of depth in simplicity, in words, images, and mediums in between.
For his close friend and artist Atul Dodiya, who first became acquainted with Patel after requesting him for a commentary on his first solo show in 1989, Patel’s feeling for his hometown of Mumbai will remain one of his hallmarks.
“He painted the people, and didn’t just depict them. What he painted was felt from within, in a spiritual way – whether he was painting an empty railway platform, an early morning day, or a child looking into a well.”
His preoccupation with childhood memories was one of his “extraordinary efforts” according to art critic Roobina Karode. “He would paint an entire sky, skyscrapers, cities inside a well. He would respond to social and political events not with aggression or protest, but in a much more intense way with sculpts. He was always ready to talk to younger artists, which is a rare and admire quality,” she says.
Painter and poet Gulam Mohammed Sheikh is an admirer of Patel’s poetry, calling him one of India’s “finest in the English language.” He says that Patel’s understated style in words and visuals was his own “seminal way” of communicating his ideas. “His work was often both very personal and dealt with contemporary reality. He would paint the sick and the poor. His paintings had political undertones, one of them being Dead Politician.”
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Poet Arundhati Subramaniam’s first association with Patel was in school when she read his poem ‘On killing a tree’, which left her struck. She would meet him years later when he came to her college, soon becoming friends.
“Our friendship became one of shared sensibility and spirit. He was very gentle, and is supposed to have great bedside manner as a physician, as well,” she says, adding, “He was not one of those artists who straddled too much. Whatever [forms he chose], he practised with depth and compassion, and that’s what made our conversations so special.”
Patel’s demise evoked condolensces from across the art world, with artists Ranjit Hoskote and Diwan Manna recalling on social media his showings at Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh and National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai. Patel also trained under poet Nissim Ezekiel and published multiple collections throughout his career.
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