Art News India

Drawings by Prem Singh

Drawings are where creativity first takes root. They are not mere preparations for a finished painting, but living fragments of thought and imagination. In each line, an artist discovers something new—an idea, a feeling, a vision—quietly shaping the soul of their art. For senior artist Prem Singh, drawing is the germination of his creativity. Over more than fifty years, he has produced countless drawings in diverse media, including ink, pen, pencil, charcoal, and collage. Most of these works are in black and white, though some incorporate colour. While many drawings present clearly defined figures, others reveal signs of abstraction that later develop more fully in his paintings. His recent works demonstrate how drawing has evolved into a powerful and independent mode of expression.

The roots of Prem Singh’s artistic journey are deeply embedded in his village in Punjab and his domestic environment. This early experiential world appears in his work not merely as subject matter but as a foundational sensibility. In his early paintings, rural women, their labour, daily routines, and the surrounding socio-cultural environment emerge vividly. Over time, this realistic approach extends beyond visual representation to express the deeper structures of society. This tendency is also visible in his later abstract works, where fleeting images of light emerge through colour. These luminous impressions may evoke the shimmering fields and glistening crops of Punjab’s rural landscape.

Parallel to his painting practice, Prem Singh has developed drawing as an autonomous medium of expression. The thousands of drawings created over nearly six decades stand as evidence that, for him, drawing is not merely preparatory but a complete and mature articulation of thought and emotion. These works convey immediacy, spontaneity, and inner impulse—qualities that at times feel even more direct and intense than his paintings.

early drawing

A significant exhibition featuring a selection of his drawings spanning fifty years opened on April 15, 2026, at the Art Pilgrim Gallery, located within the Triveni Kala Sangam. This exhibition includes several works responding to the tragedy of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, in which the artist gives voice to human suffering through the anguish of women. These drawings also offer a sharp critique of political and administrative failures, presenting a visual archive that spans from his early period to the present.

A key aspect of his drawings is the layered and continuous portrayal of women. Here, the female figure is not merely visual but deeply social—her roles, constraints, struggles, and silences coexist within the same frame. The deliberate obscuring of faces becomes a significant formal and conceptual strategy. This concealment suggests both the erasure of individual identity and the transformation of the figure into a universal symbol, creating a dialogue between the personal and the collective.

The nature of his line—deep, bold, and dynamic—functions not only to construct form but also to convey emotion and energy. These lines carry restlessness, tension, and movement, revealing the inner state of the subject. His careful attention to women’s clothing goes beyond aesthetics; garments become markers of identity, status, and cultural context.

Alongside his women-centred works, Prem Singh’s drawings also offer a sharp and compelling engagement with broader social, political, and systemic realities. Here, the artist emerges as a conscious witness, documenting contradictions, inequalities, and tensions of his time. In several works, a tone of satire sharpens this critical perspective and encourages viewer reflection.

The ink- and collage-based drawings created during the COVID-19 lockdown, which are not part of this exhibition, demonstrate how the artist adapts his medium and visual language in response to changing circumstances. These works present a sensitive exploration of psychological and emotional states—loneliness, fear, uncertainty, and fragmentation. The use of collage becomes particularly effective in expressing a fractured reality.

Prem Singh himself has stated, “Art is extremely important to me; it gives visual form to my inner voice.” This “inner voice” is layered with memories of his childhood in Punjab, experiences of rural life, and the trauma of the 1984 riots. His art thus becomes more than personal expression—it is a complex interweaving of memory, history, and social reality.

In this context, Prem Singh’s drawings can be understood as a visual language that bridges past and present. This bridge is not only about remembrance but also about introspection, re-evaluation, and reconstruction. Through his drawings, the artist continually revisits and reinterprets his experiences, transforming them into new fields of meaning.

By Dr Ved Prakash Bhardwaj

Drawing for me

–Prem Singh

Drawing is fundamental to art. It is the basis of all visual arts. Pencil, chalk, charcoal, crayon or ink are used to produce images usually on paper.

In my journey into art, which now spans more than five decades, drawing has been my companion all through. It not only stimulates my creative thinking but also helps in developing a visual language.

Today when I look at drawings done in a variety of mediums, I see not only my growth as an artist over the years but also the germination of my creativity. It’s quite a revelation to encounter images stating the different states and situations over the years.

At times I feel while reading my drawings like the pages of my diary and getting acquainted with the voices and sounds coming from around. To be in a world of hues and shades, feeling and emotions, ideas and thought, hopes and dreams, failures and successes, trials and tribulations, pain and pleasure, conflicts and confluence, desires and aspirations – all this and much more add to my understanding of life and the significance of drawing in expressing one’s self in time and place. Rummaging through these drawings is like living life all over again. In all my humbleness I owe my happiness to this accomplishment gained through my rigorous working in harmonising my inner voice with the visual voice. Here is a popular phrase – ‘Love is in the air’ . To me it seems like ‘Drawing is in the air’. It’s such a breath-taking experience, when one listens to the voices of images, and gets stimulated to express in all their purity.

The transcendental air and its swift movement when inhaled and exhaled at the ‘decisive moment’ culminates into a visual art work. Such moments though a few and far in between are most precious to me while I am in the act of drawing in consonance with my heartbeat.

How the lines breathe on the paper like the veins in the human body and transports one to a blissful state. It’s like the communion of the soul in complete unison with the sound of water falling from the spring. For me it’s like life breathing. It’s an experience beyond the expression in words.