Vasant

Vasant Chinchwadkar is a freelance professional artist who has spent part of his time in his home town in India and part in Essex in the UK. He has stayed at Jacobs Farm, Goldhanger Rd., Heybridge in the summer months from the 1970s onwards and has returned to his home town Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India each autumn. In the 1990s on, while staying at Jacobs Farm, Vasant submitted many of his work in the Goldhanger Art Society Autumn shows and became a regular visitor to the shows, spending time discussing techniques with other local artists. In this period he was also a regular visiting lecturer and gave demonstrations of his skills at the Further Education College at the Friary in Maldon. Vasant was born in Indore in 1934, the son of a lawyer, and was educated there. His mother was an artist. He trained at the Indore School of Art and gained a First Class Diploma in Fine Arts from Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy School of Art (affiliated to University of Mumbai, then known as Bombay). Vasant first exhibited with the Spectrome group of artists in Bombay and Delhi and then many other locations in Central India. His first one-man exhibition was held in Dehli in 1963. He came to England in 1968, in his words "to seek a fortune in art". Vasant met up with Essex sculptor John Doubleday in India 2010 while John was studying Indian metal working techniques and an online video of their meeting is available at the end of this page. They have since worked together in Essex and given several local talks. His work has been widely shown in exhibitions in both India and in the UK. Today his work is in private and public collections all around the world including: Canada, U.S.A., Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Japan. Some are known to be in the art collection of Trinity College, Oxford.

Contents

English style paintings Indian style paintings Murals Vasant on Facebook Exhibitions Newspaper articles Sculptures

Incised symbol on sculptures John Doubleday connection Posters and brochures Magazine illustrations Vasant’s Videos Extracts from the web Photos of Vasant

Examples of Vasant’s English style of paintings (select an image to enlarged it)

more examples of Vasant’s English style of paintings are available here... Select to enlarge and zoom in

Examples of Vasant’s India style of paintings

many more examples of Vasant’s India style of paintings are available here... Select to enlarge and zoom in these paintings were found on various art gallery websites in 2023 and 2024

This large mural painted by Vasant is inside an Essex barn and measures approximately 5m x 3m...

Select to enlarge and zoom in

Vasant’s Facebook page has more of his works on show at... https://www.facebook.com/vasant.chinchwadkar/photos

Past exhibitions - some of these were one person shows, some were group shows

1960s Water House Gallery, London - each year until 1972 1970 Galleria Maldon 1970 Trinity College - Cambridge with John Doubleday 1971 Wiverhoe Art Club 1972 Dusseldorf Galleria 1973 Project 8 Gallery, Colchester 1974 "Critics' Choice', Wivenhoe Art Club 1975 Halesworth, Suffolk 1976 West Gate House. Long Melford, Essex 1977 Braintree District Arts Council 1979 Little Baddow Hall Arts Centre 1979 Sea Dog Gallery, Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex 1981 Ingastone Art Gallery 1981 I.A.U.K, Art Centre 1982 Between Two Cultures, Barbican, London 1982 William Morris Art Gallery 1986 Chappel Galleries, Essex

1986 “Artists in Essex” Waltham Abbey Museum 1987 Cleveland 8th international Drawwing Biennale 1988 Chappel Galleries, Essex 1988 Commissions for Bank of India, London 1989 Asian Impressions, Red Barn Gallery, Kings Linn 1989 Essex County Library, Witham 1990 Chappel Galleries, Essex 1990s Goldhanger Art Society shows 1990 Oakwood Arts Centre, Maldon 1990 “Artists in Essex”, Waltham Abbey Museum 1993 Essex County Library, Witham 1995 Woodgates Gallery, East Bergholt 1997 Waltham Abbey “Pictures from around the world” 1998 Witham Library “Vasant’s Indian views” 1999 Nostangia of India, Megharaj Gallery, London 2000 Millenium Show, Town Hall, Maldon 2001 Retrospecitve Show, Chelmsford Museum

Newspaper articles select to enlarge these articles...

Sculptures

The four “snippets” below were found with a Google search in 2025 and originate from the OfferUp.com website with these words: "Vasant bronze sculpture Ballerina". It appears to be another very simliar Vasant sculpture. However, OfferUp is not available in the UK, and is described as an online "mobile-first" marketplace based in Bellevue, Washington, and currently serves only several major cities in the USA, so more details are not available in the UK.

The head, headdress and base are all remarkably similar to gilded brass sculpures above

Most if not all of Vasant’s sculptures seem to have the same intriguing symbol incised into the castings alongside his name. It has been identified as a Double-Sided Trident, and a mythological Hindu symbol. It is described as “a short handheld spear with three prongs on each end”. Here is what the double-sided trident is said to mean: “For those blessed with a Double Trident, one can rejoice in the harmonious blend of prosperity and familial bliss it signifies. The symbol suggests abundant luck in both wealth and family affairs, promising stability and happiness in the household”.

There are some similarities between Vasant’s metal sculptures and the bronze marquettes of his well know sculptor friend John Doubleday, as shown in these examples of John’s work. (see extracts from the web below referring to John Doubleday in India with Vasant)

select to enlarge

Exhibition posters and brochures

Chelmsford Museum exhibition brochure from 2001...

Magazine illustrations

Videos that include Vasant

First National Art Camp at Indore in 2008... “London based Indian artist Mr. Vasant Chinchwadkar is seen the making of charcoal drawing”... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3sGmMC4Tzo

Vasant interviewing John Doubleday at Indore in 2010... https://youtu.be/COFrfFTxf5Y

Vasant as the guest speech at Indore in 2016... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoiRBRhRYwc

Vasant presenting awards to young artists at Indore in 2016... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5adG7vdWx0

Vasant presenting awards for poetry in the Jal Auditorium, Indore in October 2021... https://www.facebook.com/bhalu.mondhe/videos/639742674076296 (the video is 1hr 52mins long - and an FB account is needed to watch it)

Vasant is on the stage at 30mins into the video

Vasant presents Vasant giving a talk gifts at 1hr 10 mins at 1hr 30 mins

Extracts from the web relating to Vasant ( links may become out of date in time, see... those magnificent links )

from... https://smartify.org/artists/vasant-narayan-chinchwadkar Vasant Narayan Chinchwadkar is a painter and collagist artistically educated in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. Trained at Indore School of Art (affiliated to University of Mumbai/Bombay), he then gained a first class Diploma in Fine Arts from Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy School of Art, Mumbai. Chinchwadkar first came to England in 1968, in his words "to seek a fortune in art" and subsequently worked as a freelance painter.

from... https://www.sulisfineart.com/catalog/product/view/id/90192/s/vasant-narayan-chinchwadkar-b-1934-contemporary-watercolour-nude-figures/category/207/ Painter and collagist born Vasant Narayan Chinchwadkar and artistically educated in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. He has shown widely in India and in London at the Horizon Gallery as well as in the provinces. In 1997 he held a two-person exhibition "A World of Difference", with Ingrid Pollard at the Epping Forest District Museum. He exhibited in England in 2001 at Chelmsford Museum and Art Gallery Essex. His work is in the collection of Trinity College, Oxford.

from... https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/5490570.chelmsford-heybridge-indian-images-for-art/ 2001 - Artist Vasant Chinchwadkar, who draws much of his inspiration from Indian mythical images, has launched an exhibition of his work at the Chelmsford Museum in Oaklands Park in Moulsham Street, Chelmsford. Vasant, who has lived in Heybridge for more than 20 years, has been successfully exhibiting since 1963. He has work in private collections across the world. A total of 35 pieces, including vibrant oil paintings, watercolours, pencil and charcoal drawings are on show.

from... https://www.maldonandburnhamstandard.co.uk/news/9281706.maldons-annual-art-trail-has-something-for-everyone/ 2011 - A standout feature of this event is a talk by internationally-renowned artists Vasant Chinchwadkar and John Doubleday, entitled Tribal Art of India, which starts at 6.30pm at Goat Lodge Farm, Goat Lodge Road, Great Totham. The one-hour talk, which will include an insight into indigenous bronze casting, as well as the deities, laws and practices relating to Indian painting and crafts.

from... https://www.artprice.com/marketplace/2317984/vasant-narayan-chinchwadkar/print-multiple/three-horses Vasant Chinchwadkar, who goes by the name of Vasant, was born in India in 1934 and was the son of a lawyer. He first studied painting at the School of Art at Indore and later at the Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy School of Art in Mumbai/Bombay, where, in 1962 he gained a first class diploma in Fine Arts. Vasant exhibited with the Spectrome group of artists in Bombay, Delhi and many other places in Central India. His first one man exhibition was held in Dehli in 1963. Since this time he has had several one-man exhibitions and his work can be found in private collections throughout India and the United Stated. Inspired by the ancient culture of India, Vasant's work retains a freshness which is totally pure and sincere, simple at first sight, yet full of the excitement of a detailed drawing. Vasant transfers this skill and the use of colour, making each original a living statement of the rich Indian cultural heritage.

from... https://www.johndoubleday.co.uk/india John Doubleday in India 2010/2011 - The experience had a profound impact on John personally, on his work and on the artist’s personal response, as an outsider, to the experience of India; an experience encouraged by his son who had worked in Indore.

Photo Portraits of Vasant

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