Born in 1935 in Maharashtra, Vithal started showing his skill in paintings and sketching at the early age of five, he started Lord Ganesha and other Hindu deities sketching on the slate. Coming from these backgrounds his works contain ancient Indian art, philosophy, and Hindu mythology.
He studied in the Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai, and secured a diploma in sculpture. He was excelled in the live model studio classes and emphasis on the study of the human form. He diverted himself to the sig board paintings, designing stages and pavilions to earn livings. With this struggle, he learned various mediums and it helps him in his later career to understanding the plasticity of a tactile medium.
Some of the highly used mediums by the artists are watercolor, chalk, oil, fiberglass, aluminum, and many more.
He experimented with abstractionism and kept the lyricism in his works. Most of his paintings are created on large canvases, where he kept the unusual depth and textures. His subjects were bulls, horses, musicians, nudes, and people of Maharashtra.
In his later career, he was more focused on the sculptures, and in his opinion, it was providing tangible experience than paintings. Those sculptures were known for the monumentality while his paintings capture the intimacy of the subjects.
Composition, textures, colors, and aesthetic forms were the aspects on which he based his works. Hi attention on workmanship, technique, and iconographic rendering was impressive.
Vikash Kalra is a self-taught artist and writer based in New Delhi whose work has been exhibited across India and is held in several private and corporate collections.