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{{Short description|Indian painter and art critic}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox artist
| image = V. R. Amberkar.jpg
| birth_date = {{birth date|1907|07|21|df=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1988|12|02|1907|07|21|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Bombay Presidency]]
| awards = [[List of Lalit Kala Akademi fellows|Fellowship of Lalit Kala Akademi]] (1980)
| known_for = {{hlist|Painting|art education|art criticism}}
}}

'''Vasant Raghunath Amberkar''' (21 July 1907 – 2 December 1988) was an Indian painter, art educator and art critic. '''V. R. Amberkar''' played an important role in the development of art education and its propagation in India.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Encyclopaedia visual art of Maharashtra : artists of the Bombay school and art institutions (late 18th to early 21st century) |date=2021-03-02 |publisher=Pundole Art Gallery |isbn=978-81-89010-11-9 |editor-last=Bahulkar |editor-first=Suhas |edition=First |location=Mumbai |oclc=1242719488}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Vasant was born on 21 July 1907 in [[Mumbai|Bombay]] to Lakshmibai and Raghunath Amberkar. He completed his initial schooling from [[Colaba]] and later from [[Alibag]]. His father was a renowned doctor. After leaving the navy, he moved to Alibaug and started his own business there. As he was fond of literature, music, and drama, he gave his son the freedom to study subjects of his interest without forcing him to become a doctor.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=रहाटे |first=समीर |title=आंबेरकर, वसंत रघुनाथ |trans-title=Amberkar, Vasant Raghunath |url=https://maharashtranayak.in/anbaerakara-vasanta-raghaunaatha |access-date=2022-07-21 |website=महाराष्ट्र नायक |language=mr}}</ref>

Amberkar utilised this liberty given by his father to full effect. In 1931, he passed his Intermediate Arts Examination form the [[University of Mumbai|University of Bombay]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 June 1931 |title=University of Bombay Intermediate Arts Examination Results |pages=3 |work=[[The Bombay Chronicle]] |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.8556/ |access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref> He then graduated from [[Wilson College, Mumbai]] in 1933 with a B.A. in English followed by a M.A. in 1935.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 June 1935 |title=New Masters Of Arts And Science And Bachelors Of Law |pages=4 |work=[[The Bombay Chronicle]] |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.9121/ |access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref> Given his mastery and creativity in English, he received multiple jobs from various British companies. Amberkar was the director of the publicity consulting firm Raymond-Renolds in 1946.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.06743/page/723/ |title=The Times of India: Directory of Bombay (City and Province) |work=[[The Times of India]] |year=1946 |location=Bombay |pages=723}}</ref>

== Career ==

=== Painting ===
At the recommendation of [[Archibald Herman Müller|Archibald Müller]], Amberkar took art lessons at [[Sawlaram Haldankar|S. L. Haldankar]]'s Art Institute, where he studied from 1933 to 1939.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Vasant Raghunath Amberkar |url=https://blog.artlounge.in/blog/2021/1/6/vasant-raghunath-amberkar |access-date=2022-07-21 |website=Art Lounge |date=16 April 2016 |language=en-US}}</ref> Meanwhile, he completed a four-year correspondence course in art education taught by [[Percy Bradshaw]] of the Press Art School in London.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Profile of Vasant Amberkar |url=https://www.indiaart.com/old-masters/Vasant-Amberkar/Profile-of-Vasant-Amberkar.asp |access-date=2022-07-21 |website=India Art}}</ref> This gave him a new perspective on looking at art. His views pertaining to the basic principles of art were etched in his mind which directly influenced his career.<ref name=":0" /> After this, Amberkar had opened a studio named the Industrial Art Studio<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ministry.06743/page/1056/ |title=The Times of India: Directory of Bombay (City and Province) |work=[[The Times of India]] |year=1946 |location=Bombay |pages=1056}}</ref> in [[Fort (Mumbai precinct)|Fort]] area of Mumbai where other painters, singers, musicians, writers, and theatre artists also worked.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B2%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0_%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%B6_%E0%A4%96%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A1_%E0%A5%AC_-_%E0%A4%A6%E0%A5%83%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BE.pdf&page=81 |title=शिल्पकार चरित्रकोश खंड ६ - दृश्यकला |publisher=साप्ताहिक विवेक, हिंदुस्थान प्रकाशन संस्था |year=2013 |editor-last=बहुळकर |editor-first=सुहास |edition=1st |location=मुंबई |pages=16–18 |language=mr |trans-title=Artists' Encyclopedia Vol. 6 - Visual Arts |editor-last2=घारे |editor-first2=दीपक}}</ref>

Despite mastering realistic painting, his drive for experimentation gradually led to his paintings featuring heavy brushstrokes, few colours and a composition that avoided unnecessary details. Mid 1930s was the time when a modern outlook towards visual art started to take root in the art scene of Bombay. There was a greater flexibility in the arrangement of subjects, be it a landscape or a portrait. Like other painters of that time, Amberkar deliberately broke the existing trend of the past. Subsequently, the new trend was strengthened by the paintings of [[S. H. Raza]], [[M. F. Husain]] and [[Akbar Padamsee]] to name a few.<ref name=":1" />
[[File:Church - V. R. Amberkar.jpg|alt=Painting by V. R. Amberkar|thumb|''The Church'' (1960) by V. R. Amberkar]]
Amberkar's paintings show various influences, ranging from [[Realism (arts)|realistic]] to [[Expressionism|expressionist]] styles. In his landscape paintings, shape and space are explored through composition rather than realism. Both, ''The Dress'' (a human figure painting) and ''The Church'' (an architectural painting), are made with bold black lines and filled with colour. Some of his paintings also leaned towards abstraction. However, his contributions in the field of art education are considered more important than his outing with experimental paintings.<ref name=":2" />

=== Art education ===
At the suggestion of his teacher S. L. Haldankar, Amberkar got involved in the work of Art Society of India and became its secretary. He uplifted the society through many activities and subsequently became its president in 1935. Amberkar was the part of a Bombay Government Committee in 1946 which had to survey and make recommendations about changes in art education.<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 August 1946 |title=Need for specialised education in art |pages=4 |work=[[The Bombay Chronicle]] |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.1873/ |access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref> Around this time, he also worked with [[Lakshman Shastri Joshi]] on the board of ''[[Marathi Vishwakosh]]'' at [[Wai, Maharashtra|Wai]]. When [[Hansa Jivraj Mehta|Hansa Mehta]], influenced by Amberkar's ideas on art education, decided to reorganize the art department at [[Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda]], she entrusted Amberkar with the responsibility of selecting an art curriculum and teachers for it. Under this course, Amberkar introduced the subjects of art history and aesthetics for the first time and taught these to the students there.<ref name=":0" />

At the request of [[Madhav Satwalekar]], the then Director of Arts of [[Maharashtra]], he designed a new curriculum for art education in the state. The Directorate of Arts, Maharashtra, successfully implemented this course under his guidance by conducting summer camps for the teachers of all art colleges. After witnessing the success in Baroda and Mumbai, Amberkar was invited to define the contours of art education in [[Goa]] and [[Thiruvananthapuram]]. He insisted that art history, art criticism and aesthetics should be included in the curricula of all these places. He believed that the art world and artists in India would become more profound through this and continuously strived for their further propagation.<ref name=":1" />

=== Other work on arts ===
Amberkar had represented the Bombay Government in the All India Conference on Arts, which led to the establishment of the National Academy of Arts in India, known as the [[Lalit Kala Akademi]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.csl.41/ |title=Report: All India Conference on Arts held at Calcutta - 29th and 30th August, 1949 |publisher=[[Ministry of Education (India)|Ministry of Education, Government of India]] |year=1949 |location=New Delhi |pages=30}}</ref> Later, as a committee member and joint secretary of Lalit Kala Akademi, he suggested holding a regular World Triennale Exhibition at the academy.<ref name=":2" /> Amberkar was on the jury panel of the third edition of this triennale in 1975.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Batham |first1=Roop Narayan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gVc7EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA224 |title=Anthology of Significant Events in Indian Art & Socio-Cultural History 1850-2015 |last2=Kesarwani |first2=Nimisha |date=2021-08-03 |publisher=Blue Rose Publishers |pages=224 |language=en}}</ref>

As Amberkar was well versed in the field of art, he received several invitations to deliver lectures and seminars. He mesmerised the audience with his eloquence in English. Some of his lectures covered in press include ''India and Modern Movements in Art'',<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 February 1940 |title=India and Modern Movements in Art |pages=5 |work=[[The Bombay Chronicle]] |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.9896/ |access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=5 February 1940 |title=India and Modern Movements in Art |pages=5 |work=[[The Bombay Chronicle]] |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.9898/ |access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref> ''An Approach to Art'',<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 February 1947 |title=Today's Engagements: Mazdaznan Art Evening |pages=3 |work=[[The Bombay Chronicle]] |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.2046/ |access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref> ''Co-relation of Arts,''<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 May 1947 |title=Today's Engagements: Mazdaznan Art Evening |pages=3 |work=[[The Bombay Chronicle]] |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.11508/ |access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref> ''What is good art,''<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 August 1947 |title=Today's Engagements: Bombay Art Society |pages=3 |work=[[The Bombay Chronicle]] |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.11594/ |access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref> and ''Great Works of Art and What Makes Them Great.''<ref>{{Cite news |date=16 October 1947 |title=Today's Engagements: Mazdaznan Art Evening |pages=3 |work=[[The Bombay Chronicle]] |url=https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.11647/ |access-date=21 July 2022}}</ref> He also wrote exhibition reviews in [[Marathi language|Marathi]] and English for newspapers and magazines.<ref name=":0" /> Additionally, he gave talks related to contemporary art on the Bombay station of the [[All India Radio]].<ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7qDzDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA11 |title=AKASHVANI: Vol. XXX. No. 10 (7 MARCH, 1965) |date=1965-03-07 |publisher=[[All India Radio]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KvHrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA18 |title=AKASHVANI: Vol. XXV. No. 37. (11 SEPTEMBER, 1960) |date=1960-09-11 |publisher=[[Publications Division (India)]] |language=en}}</ref>

== Awards ==
In 1946, Amberkar won a prize for his paintings at the annual exhibition of the Art Society of India.<ref name=":3" /> For his contributions in the field of art, he was awarded the [[List of Lalit Kala Akademi fellows|Fellowship of Lalit Kala Akademi]] in 1980.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-06-15 |title=Lalit Kala Akademi Fellows |url=http://lalitkala.gov.in/recognition/fellows.asp |access-date=2022-07-21 |website=Lalit Kala Akademi|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090615063915/http://lalitkala.gov.in/recognition/fellows.asp |archive-date=15 June 2009 }}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Amberkar married Neera Medhekar in June 1934.<ref name=":2" />

== Death and legacy ==
Amberkar died on 2 December 1988. On his birth centenary in 2007, Amberkar's paintings were exhibited in the ''Master Strokes VI'' exhibition at the [[Jehangir Art Gallery]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XrwHywAACAAJ |title=Master Strokes: An exhibition of paintings by V.R. Amberkar, 1907-1988 [and] J.D. Gondhalekar, 1909-1981, Tuesday 16th to 21st October 2007 at Jehangir Art Gallery |date=2007 |publisher=Jehangir Art Gallery |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Fellows of the Lalit Kala Akademi|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amberkar, V. R.}}
[[Category:1907 births]]
[[Category:1988 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian art educators]]
[[Category:Indian art critics]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male artists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian painters]]
[[Category:Artists from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Indian male painters]]

V. R. Amberkar - Revision history

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