A biography of artist Sobha Singh titled “Sobha Singh Artist: Life & Legacy” 9 is likely to be launched on June 9. This is the first biography on the life and work of the artist. Researchers, artists, fans and followers of eminent artist had been pressing for a book on him.
Authored by his grandson Hirday Paul Singh, the book has 12 chapters, 32 colour plates and a treasure trove of information about Sobha Singh, which was previously unavailable in the public domain.
“Many people may not be aware that Sobha Singh had troubled childhood and disrupted education, a stint with British Indian army in Iraq and was greatly influenced by freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose and used to suffix “Subhash” to his name as a freelance artist,” said Hirday Paul Singh.
He served in the Indian Army at Shimla as chief artist. Partition forced him to leave Lahore empty-handed and move to Kangra. He started a new life at Andretta village in 1947, bringing the tiny hamlet village on the International art map.
Through the book, people will get to know about his efforts to revive Dogra and Kangra School of painting with “Kangra Kala Kendr” and “Kangra Kala Utsav”, said Hirday.
The book throws light on his paintings on religious themes, freedom fighters and national heroes, brides and tribes, landscapes and portraits, etc., which were commissioned by institutions in India and abroad. Readers will get glimpses of the artist’s daily routine, poetry, sculptures, writings and his concern for the safety of paintings during and after 1984.
The book delves into the family’s commitment to keep his memory alive in detail.
The author had grown under Sobha Singh for 23 years and had been assisting his mother for the last 36 years in looking after the rich legacy with dedication. Hirday says that a biography of his grandfather is a humble effort to present his life to the readers. He said that with passage of time, unsubstantiated matter is added by disgruntled elements in this age of social media.
Born on November 29, 1901, Sobha Singh has been one of the most popular artists of the 20th century. His works, that include paintings of Sikh gurus, evolution of Sikh history, even don the walls of Parliament. Around two dozen prints of his paintings are available at present.
