Jyoti Bhatt

Bhatt moved from a cubist influence in his early work to a lighthearted and colorful Pop art that often drew its imagery from traditional Indian folk designs. Though Bhatt worked in a variety of mediums, including watercolors and oils, it is his printmaking that ultimately garnered him the most attention. In 1966 Bhatt returned to M.S.U. Baroda with a thorough knowledge of the intaglio process that he had gained at the Pratt Institute at Brooklyn in New York. It was partially Bhatt’s enthusiasm for intaglio that caused other artists such as Jeram Patel, Bhupen Khakhar and Gulammohammed Sheikh, to take up the same process. Bhatt, and his compatriots at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Baroda, soon came to be known as "The Baroda School" of Indian art.[4]

Late in the 1960s, Bhatt was asked to take photographs of Gujarati folk art. Initially, this work was done for a seminar, but it soon became one of the artist’s passions to document traditional Indian craft and design work. The disappearing arts of rural Gujarat became a focus. Though Bhatt’s investigations into a village and tribal designs certainly influenced the motifs he used in his printmaking, Bhatt considers his documentary photographs to be an art form in themselves. His direct and simply composed photographs have become valued on their own merit.[5]

Throughout Bhatt’s long career as a teacher at the M.S.U. Faculty of Fine Arts, he has photographed the evolution of the university, the artistic activities of its faculty and students, and the architecturally significant buildings of Baroda. This huge body of work is perhaps the best assembled photographic documentation that pertains to "The Baroda School" of Indian art.[6]

It is Jyoti Bhatt’s prints, however, that are most associated with the artist. His etchings, intaglios, and screen prints have explored and re-explored a personal language of symbols that stem from Indian culture: the peacock, the parrot, the lotus, stylized Indian gods and goddesses, and unending variations on tribal and village designs. Recently he has explored digital printing and holography.

His work is in numerous international collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., The British Museum, London.[7] and the Museum of Art & Photography, Bangalore.

Jyoti Bhatt met Jyotsna Bhatt, a potter, during her college years and they married later. They lived in Vadodara.[8] They had a daughter, Jaii.[2] Jyotsna Bhatt was a ceramic artist and a Professor of ceramics and she died in 2020.[9]

• Gold Medal, International Biennale of Prints Italy.
• A top prize, World Photo Contest, at Fotokina, Germany. (1978)
• Grand Prix, 13th Annual Photo contest for Asia and Pacific, UNESCO, Japan. (1989)
• President’s Gold Plaque and National Award, 1956.,
• National Award, 1963, at the Annual Art Exhibitions of L.K.Akademi, NewDelhi).
• Awarded a special ‘Gaurav Puraskar by Gujarat State L.K.Akademi.
• Life Time Achievement Award, by Gujarat State.
• First Prize for the postal stamps design for the 25th Anniversary of Independence of India.
• First Prize for graphic print, (1967, State Exhibition, Gujarat L. K. Akademi)
• Silver Medal, (Annual show of Bombay Art Society).
• Bronze Medal, at Nikon world Photo Contest. Japan.
• Prize for ‘Children’, Photography contest, D.A.V.P., New Delhi. (1978).
• Senior Artist Award, All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi, (2000).
• Kalashri, A.I.F.A.C.S. New Delhi, (2001).
• Hon. Doctorate by Rabindra Bharati, University, Kolkata -2004.
• Life Time achievement –Distinguished Photo Artist of the year 2005 –Award from Academy Of Visual media, New Delhi.
• Kailash Award. Asmita Parva. (Morari Bapu's) 2011.
• Padma Shri (2019)[2]
• Dhirubhai Thakar Savyasachi Saraswat Award (2020)[10]

• Jyoti Bhatt Photographs by Jyoti Bhatt
• Saffronart Artist Profile
• Delhi Art Gallery, Artist Profile
• Indiaart