Pramod Kurlekar is one of the leading representational artist from India, renowned for his works internationally. He primarily works in three types of paintings.
The first type is spontaneous painting. In this style, a scene becomes an inspiration for him to paint just by its visual form. Most of these paintings are small in size, with brushwork that is loose and bold in nature because spontaneity is the main aspect behind them. There is no restriction on the reference subject or its source; it is based purely on visual inspiration. These paintings include subjects like portraits, figures, landscapes, interiors, still life, and many more.
The second type of painting is the Red Buddha series. According to Buddha's philosophy, our inner peace depends more on our own psychological understanding than on the external circumstances surrounding us.
It is generally believed that the circumstances around us and the chaos in the outside world are the causes of our inner unrest. If we distance ourselves from these external circumstances, we will experience inner peace. But when the inner turmoil does not subside even after going into solitude, we realize that the body has moved away from the external circumstances, but the mind is still entangled in those circumstances through thoughts.
Buddha says that if we learn the art of living with detached witnessing and awareness, we can achieve inner peace sustainably, regardless of external circumstances. It is like a lotus leaf that does not get wet even after being immersed in water.
In the Red Buddha series, the red color is deliberately used to express the essence of this philosophy of Buddha, so that the expression of peace can be achieved through the skillful use of red—a color associated with turbulent elements like violence, danger, fire, and conflict.
In short, the artist is trying to express Buddha's way of living with detached witnessing in the chaotic circumstances of life, using the contradictory red color for peace.
In the third type of painting, the artist depicts events happening in his personal and social life that touch his sensitive mind and inspire him to express the essence hidden in those events through paintings.
Art is a multidimensional expression, born as both an aimless and a purpose-driven expression. Apart from being an independent individual, the artist is also a responsible part of society.
We all live in a civilized world. Because of this civilization, our individual rights remain protected. It is our responsibility to contribute to making this civilization more prosperous and healthy. If we look into history, we will find that many artists have made valuable contributions to the development of civilization.
This third type of painting is a small effort made by the artist in this direction. Paintings in this category have received many state, national, and international awards, including state awards from the Government of Maharashtra, national awards from the legendary Bombay Art Society and Art Society of India, and international awards from prestigious organizations like the Portrait Society of America.