Balkrishna Patel was born in Ahmedabad in 1925 and he studied painting under the tutelage of Ravishanker Rawal at Ahmedabad and Prof. N.S. Bendre at the faculty of fine Arts M. S. University, Baroda. He was also part of the group 1980, and exhibited in the group’s only exhibition in 1963. He uses color sparingly, only a hint of it, as not wanting to burden the paintings.
Horse and women or the figure of the woman seem occupy the artists current repertoire. Both have strong symbolic implications, the horse a symbol of power, strength has been used in the realm of art since time immemorial, every artist has at some time or the other painted it. By putting the two, horse and woman together he seems to be balancing the 2 life forces, the male and the female. Though his line of thought is more serene, both are at peace with themselves and not wrought with intensions. They are at times playful and dancing to the love song of life. The woman is sometimes seen astride, at times the horse is beckoning her to an unknown land, coaxing her to explore the world. At times he seems to be enthralled by her.
Balkrishna Patel has won several awards including the Merit Award, Lalit Kala Academy (1957), Merit Award, Bombay Art Society,(1957), National Award, (1969, 1978), Gujarat Rajya Lalit Kala Award,(1993). Patel has showing his works in solo exhibitions at the Jahangir Art Gallery (1959) Dhoomimal Art Gallery, (1965,1988) Gallery Chemould, Mumbai, (1969,1971,1972) Gallery Chemould New Delhi, 1971 Contemporary Art Gallery, Ahmedabad, (1974,1976,1987, Art Heritage, Delhi, (1993) And has also participated in several group shows in India and Abroad His works can be found in the permanent collection of National Gallery of Modern Art, Lalit Kala Akademi, Roopankar Museum, Bhopal. The artist lives in Ahmedabad.
