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Vasudeo Gaitonde is considered one of South Asia's greatest abstract painters.
Some artists become legends during their lifetime but remain a mystery years after their death.
Indian painter Vasudeo Santu Gaitonde, born 100 years ago on November 2, 1924, was one such master.
Considered one of South Asia's greatest abstract painters, Gaitonde was part of a rebellious generation of artists who laid the foundation for a new era of Indian art in the mid-20th century.
He was deeply inspired by the techniques used by Western painters, but his work remained grounded in Asian philosophy, infusing light and texture in a way that admirers say evokes a deep sense of calm.
His paintings were meant to be “meditations on light and the universe,” says Yamini Mehta, who worked as international head of South Asian art at Sotheby’s.
“The play of light, shadows and textures makes these paintings dynamic.”
In a career that spanned decades, Gaitonde never sought fame or fortune. But his works continue to attract attention at auctions, years after his death in 2001.
In 2022, an untitled oil painting by him sold for 420 million rupees (nearly $5 million; £3.9 million), setting a new record for Indian art at that time . The work's blue tones remind viewers of large expanses of sea or sky.
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Another painting, an untitled oil on canvas painted by Gaitonde in 1961, was sold at auction for nearly Rs 400 million.
Gaitonde lived as a recluse for most of his life. He was deeply influenced by Japanese Zen philosophy and this meditative state of mind was often reflected in his paintings.
“Everything starts from silence. The silence of the canvas. The silence of the painting knife. The painter begins by absorbing all these silences… Your whole being works with the brush, the painting knife, the canvas to absorb this silence and create,” he told journalist Pritish Nandy in a rare interview in 1991.
Originally from the western state of Goa, Gaitonde's family lived in the city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) in a small three-room dwelling located in a chawl – an affordable housing complex for the city's working class.
A born artist, he joined Mumbai's famous JJ School of Arts for training in 1946. Despite his father's disapproval – art was not considered a viable career in India at the time – Gaitonde financed his own studies and graduated in 1948.
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The artist was strongly inspired by the Japanese Zen philosophy
For a time, he was part of a group of influential Indian artists called the Progressive Artists Group, established to encourage new art forms. Formed in 1947 in Mumbai, the group counted among its members such leading artists as Francis Souza, SH Raza, MF Husain and Bhanu Athaiya – the first Indian to win an Oscar.
Gaitonde also worked at the city's Bhulabhai Desai Memorial Institute, another center frequented by legends such as sitarist Ravi Shankar and theater artiste Ebrahim Alkazi.
“It was an interesting time because Mumbai was a hotbed of creativity,” says artist and writer Satish Naik, who published an anthology on Gaitonde in the Marathi language.
Indian art of this era was largely dominated by realism, found in the murals of the Ajanta Caves and in Mughal art or miniature paintings.
“Gaitonde began with realistic works but quickly sought another path. He was one of the first to reject form and embrace formlessness,” Naik said.
“In that sense, he was a rebel. He wanted to paint the way he wanted, not the way someone dictated to him.”
Gaitonde's deep interest in spirituality helped him progress toward his profession.
“My paintings are nothing other than the reflection of nature,” he once wrote in a questionnaire sent to the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1963.
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Gaitonde lived most of his life as a recluse, but his works continue to fetch huge sums at auction.
In 1963, Morris Graves, a famous American abstract painter, saw Gaitonde's work during a trip to India and was very impressed.
He immediately sent a letter to Dan and Marian Johnson of the Willard Gallery in New York, describing him as “one of the best” painters he had ever seen.
“He is as handsome – or superb – as Mark Rothko at his best and will one of these days be a world-famous painter,” Graves wrote.
“He is an abstract painter with something indescribably beautiful and clean. These are the most beautiful landscapes of the spirit and of light.
In 1964, Gaitonde moved to New York after winning the Rockefeller Fellowship. The next two years constituted a formative phase of his career as the young artist had the chance to meet modern American artists and see their works, which further developed his style.
In 1971, Gaitonde was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honor in India, for his outstanding contribution to art.
But despite his growing fame, he became increasingly withdrawn over the following years.
His disciple and renowned artist Laxman Shreshtha narrates in Naik's book how MF Husain often tried to visit Gaitonde at his residence in Delhi.
“If Gaitonde didn't want to meet anyone, he wouldn't open the door, not even to Husain who would draw something on the door and leave. It was Husain's way of saying, “I've been here.”
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Admirers say Gaitonde's vast canvases evoke a sense of calm
Even his work undergoes a change. Usually, the artist painted between six and seven paintings per year. But after a spinal injury in 1984, the numbers dropped significantly.
“I still continue to paint; I make paintings in my head. I now have limited energy that I need to conserve and I cannot waste it painting on the canvas,” he once told art gallery owner Dadiba Pundole.
As Gaitonde's stature as an artist grew, his paintings became increasingly rare, which added to the charm and mystery surrounding his work.
This may also be one of the reasons why his paintings still sell for such high prices today.
When Gaitonde died in 2001 at the age of 77, his death remained largely ignored as the artist lived his final years in obscurity.
But his thought-provoking paintings continue to make waves around the world.
Cara Manes, an associate curator at the Museum of Modern Art, once said that Gaitonde's works were an embodiment of what silence could look like. “And yet, there is a certain shimmer that emerges from this silence which then opposes these very solid marks, the assertive application of colors.”
For the artist, however, art remains a deeply personal form of expression.
He often said: “I let the colors flow and I look. It's my painting.
