An important exhibition of drawings by senior Indian artist Sudhir Patwardhan is currently on view at Vadehra Art Gallery in New Delhi. Titled In Another Mode: Sudhir Patwardhan’s Drawings 1970–2000, the exhibition brings together more than two hundred drawings created between 1970 and 2000. Curated by art historian R. Siva Kumar, it offers an opportunity to explore Patwardhan’s artistic practice through a medium that has received relatively little attention in discussions of his work as a painter. The exhibition is open to the public from September 25 to October 23, 2026, at Vadehra Art Gallery, D-53, Defence Colony, New Delhi. – Dr. Ved Prakash Bhardwaj
Sudhir Patwardhan is widely recognised for his sustained engagement with metropolitan life, particularly Mumbai’s changing urban landscape, its working class, and the struggles of ordinary people. A doctor by profession, Patwardhan approaches art as a critical examination of human existence and the individual’s position within broader socio-economic and political structures. His work goes beyond documenting everyday life; it also reflects cultural transformations, changing visual imagery, and the complex nature of memory. The essence of urban life—embodied in buildings and streets, in the experiences of people travelling by bus or train, and in the presence of the individual within a crowd—finds expression in his art. Questions of identity, social status, individual roles, and character are integral to this vision.
Yet, despite their significance, Patwardhan’s drawings have rarely received sustained critical attention. Although some of his drawings were exhibited at Vadehra Art Gallery a few years ago, the works presented in the current exhibition are distinct, offering a fresh perspective on this important aspect of his practice.
Many of the drawings can be understood as part of Patwardhan’s preparatory process. In several instances, one can recognise elements that later appear in his finished paintings, a natural progression in an artist’s working process. Some drawings focus on the varied positions of hands and feet, facial expressions, and bodily postures, while a substantial number are portraits. Others depict members of the working class engaged in their everyday occupations.
The working class has long occupied a central place in Patwardhan’s art. Construction workers, fishmongers, Mumbai’s dabbawalas, commuters travelling on local trains and buses, and scenes from Irani restaurants have become recurring motifs in his work. These subjects are equally prominent in his drawings, underscoring the continuity of his engagement with the everyday realities of urban life.
Executed in mediums such as pencil, pen, and pastel, the drawings provide valuable insight into Patwardhan’s creative process and the development of his visual language. At the same time, they should not be viewed merely as preparatory studies for his paintings. Many were conceived as independent works of art in their own right, deserving of attention for their individual artistic merit.
All images from the Vadehra art gallery.
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