Drawing Room: Why Hashim Badani loves Sudhir Patwardhan’s paintings

Sudhir Patwardhan’s works show a Mumbai that viewers may find familiar. But look closer. The details tell new tales, trigger universal questions

Sudhir Patwardhan has this unique way of observing the urban landscape he lives in. A lot of his work looks at the city through a refreshing lens. This may be attributed to the fact that he was a practising radiologist who doubled up as an artist. Many of us see Mumbai in its mundane daily form. However, if you take a moment to reflect, there are so many stories unfolding within it at any given time. Each of them is jostling for recognition and space but Patwardhan makes all stories feel equally important.

Sudhir Patwardhan paintings, such as Mumbai Proverbs’ Panels 1 – 5, present a Mumbai most people see but never closely notice.

In the 1977 painting, Irani Restaurant, Patwardhan’s subject doesn’t quite fit into the fabric of the scene.

Photographer Hashim Badani says that Patwardhan’s paintings help him view Mumbai differently.