Amit Ambalal

Amit Ambalal was born in 1943 in Ahmedabad. He initially began his career as a businessman; however, his childhood dream was to become a painter. So, in 1977, he liquidated the family business to pursue his passion. He had no formal training, but was guided by renowned artist, Chhaganlal Jadhav. Ambalal became a full-time painter in 1979.

Mingling reality and mythology, Ambalal’s work pairs together critical and irreverent subjects, creating a satirical representation of the everyday and the divine. His paintings are filled with eccentric human and animal protagonists, often drawing from abundant sources of Indian traditional art, including miniature painting, folk, and tribal art, as well as cosmological and astrological diagrams, which animate the busy surfaces of his paintings. 

Ambalal’s paintings display a contemporary approach to tradition through his characterisations of religious traditions. In this regard, his paintings create an interesting dialogue between his passion for the history of aesthetic interest and the critical humoristic comment. Ambalal’s primary medium is watercolour, as they have a knack of telling you when the painting is complete, with a transparency which is not seen in other mediums. Ambalal is known for working with pure colours and letting them mix on the paper rather than the palette. 

Especially interested in the Nathdwara school of painting, Ambalal published a book, titled ‘Krishna as Shrinathji: Rajasthani Paintings from Nathdwara,’ in 1987. He also held an exhibition of Nathdwara inspired paintings in New Delhi, in 1989. He has had several solo exhibitions in India and participated in group shows internationally. Despite having exhibited in over 40 solo and group shows, he still considers himself as a student. Ambalal lives and works in Ahmedabad.