Yogesh Rawal: A master with paper art lost to Covid-19

Artist Yogesh Rawal passed away in Gurugram on April 16. Abir Pothi remembers his prolific journey in the world of art

Experimental artist Yogesh Rawal, an eminent pioneer of styles in collage, sculpture, print and painting, has succumbed to the deadly Covid-19 virus, highlighting the impact of tragic loss amid this pandemic within the Indian art world.

On April 16, Rawal breathed his last at the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram at the age of 67, bringing an end to a long and prolific career as an artist.

Rawal was born in Saurashtra’s Wankaner in 1954. His parents eventually settled at Shivaji Park in Mumbai, and Rawal spent his formative years in this city, pursuing his early education and doing odd jobs. He had lost his father when was 11, and by 1974, had embarked on his artistic journey in earnest, joining the Sir JJ School of Arts in the commercial capital.

Over the years, he spent time learning printmaking with Prof Kashinath Salve after school hours and finally, in 1978, he graduated from the prestigious institute. That same year, he also founded ‘The Untitled’, a collective of young artists, and even held its first group show.

Just a year later, in 1979, he bagged a prestigious scholarship from the French Government to study lithography at the renowned L’ecole National Superieure des Beaux-arts, Paris, and in 1980, he also studied etching at Atelier 17 in Paris under Prof. William Hayter. He then returned to Mumbai and began working as a freelancer. By 1995, he had shifted his studio to Bhopal, and even in later years, split his time between Bhopal and Mumbai. Interestingly, it is in Bhopal that one of the artist’s most larger-than-life works was executed: A stunning paper collage recreation of the magnificent gates of Sanchi Stupa at the doorway of the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, made in poured concerete covered with layer after layer of coloured tissue and kite paper lacquered — a glowing, fiery flow of colour and texture, making for a grand installation.

This journey with paper, highlights an obituary by Bhopal-based multimedia freelance journalist Anup Dutta, began early in Rawal’s life, growing up at a time when the medium was much more common in people’s lives — whether it be books, magazines, newspapers, ration cards, daily documentation work, and school paraphernalia. But it was when Rawal was a young, budding artist circa August 1974 that he reportedly came across tissue paper while buying colours, which sparked sudden inspiration — he then began to deal with creating textures and collages. He also went on to experiment with a variety of paper qualities as well as different varnishes and coatings for his collages.

One finds that although Rawal often worked with a minimal use of pigments, simply black and white, or a monochromatic palette, he would not hesitate to employ deep red, brown and orange hues. Many aficionados of his art found an incredible understanding of light, shade and depth in his multi-layered works, and the artist himself considered light to be a fundamental element of his oeuvre. In fact, many of his etchings also evolved from his study of light and its effects.

Rawal’s often untitled abstractions were brought to life by clever use of paper collage, cellulose and synthetic resin. He found his path in spiritual, minimalistic compositions, and his meditative leanings were informed by his religious beliefs and surroundings, while being rooted in the self.

The artist had won several awards, including a gold medal from the Maharashtra Government and an award at the Bharat Bhavan Biennale of Contemporary Indian Art in 1990. He exhibited his works all over India, Europe and the United States.