Jagdeep Smart

Jagdeep Smart (1956-2009), heir to the legacy of Vasudeo Smart completed his Masters in Arts at the Faculty of Fine Arts from the M. S. University. It was his uncle, a well known painter and a Sir J. J. School of Art graduate, Vasudeo Smart, who inspired and encouraged him to explore lines and colours in his work. He was a well known contemporary artist and a popular professor of Fine Arts at Veer Narmad South Gujarat University. He was also a budding poet and had translated M. F. Husain’s biography and was published as ‘Dada no Dangoro lidho’. He sketched a building in the Nanpura, reclamation area of Surat city in 1986-87, which documents the architecture of an era bygone. Quite a few buildings have been sketched by him, like the Vohra mansion. He had added to the vibrancy to Surat’s canvas for 40 years with his popular puppet master’s series. He promoted annual week-long art festivals for youngsters to display their works. He had also participated extensively in art workshops with Bhupen Khakar at Nathdwara. He had designed the fine arts and interior design courses for Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (VNSGU) during the last three years of his life.

He had won several awards for his work including, Kalidas Academy Award, Ujjain and three Gujarat Lalit Kala Academy awards, award for painting by UNICEF, an award from Gujarat State Lalit Kala Academy in the Best Drawing Artist category, and an Outstanding Personality in the Field of Fine Arts Award by the Giant Group of Greater Surat. He did several shows across India namely at the Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai, the Amdavad ni Gufa in Ahmedabad and the Anant Art Gallery in Surat. He also organised a special show ‘Ma’ dedicated to his mother at the Rotary Art Gallery, Surat.