Description
About the artist
Born on April 11, 1953, in Sangli, Maharashtra, Dattatraya Apte grew up in a culturally rich household.
Apte’s father was a teacher who also made Ganesh idols for puja at home—a skill that young Apte learned early on. He also learned to paint photographs and retouch negatives from an uncle who was a photographer.
Though Apte initially enrolled at Sir J. J. School of Art, Bombay, to study sculpture, he eventually trained at Pune’s Abhinav Kala Vidyalaya. He later pursued a post-diploma in printmaking at M. S. University, Baroda, which he completed in 1980.
Maps and cartography feature prominently in Apte’s prints, distinguished by his emphasis on texture, often creating relief-like effects. J. D. Gondharekar, former dean of Sir J. J. School of Art, was an early inspiration, to whom Apte credits his series of works on monuments and historical ruins. He admired K. G. Subramanyan for his spontaneity and Jeram Patel for his intensity.
Beyond printmaking, Apte also works with paper pulp, drawn to the element of surprise it offers when cast. He has taught printmaking at various workshops in India, Nepal, and France and has curated several graphic print exhibitions. He received the Chitrakala Parishad Award in Bangalore in 1992 and the Charles Wallace India Trust Award in 1999, which enabled him to work under Prof. Jaky Pery at the Glasgow School of Art, Scotland. In 2004, he won the Lalit Kala Akademi’s National Award. Apte currently lives and works in New Delhi.
