Mehar Singh (artist)

Mehar Singh (1 October 1929 – 26 August 2020), also spelt as Meher Singh[1], was a Sikh artist. He served as the president of the Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi.[2] He painted many works depicting scenes and figures from Sikh history. He also made portraits of artists, poets, film personalities, and politicians. A master of Indian realism[3], Mehar Singh was a disciple of Sobha Singh.[4]

Biography

Mehar Singh was born to parents Saudagar Singh and Mahinder Kaur in Lahore, British India on 1 October 1929. His family were engaged in wood craftsmenship and had a workshop. He was educated at DAV College, Lahore and Mayo School of Art, Lahore. Two of his uncles worked at the school as teachers. He became a full-time apprentice of the famous Sobha Singh in 1946 but managed to also continue his college education via evening studies to please his father.[2][4] Due to the partition of Punjab in 1947, Mehar Singh shifted initially to Puranpur in Uttar Pradesh and later to Andhretta, where Sobha Singh, his master, resided.[2] He also travelled to Ambala and Bombay with Sobha Singh.[4]

After completing his art apprenticeship under Sobha Singh, Mehar Singh went to Delhi where he found work painting calendars for Mehta Art Press, alongside his friend Brij Bhushan. He also studied art at Delhi Polytechnic at the same time. In 1958, he started working at the American Embassy as an artist for the United States Information Service, where he created busts and painting of American presidents.[3][4][2] He further developed his artisan skills due to helpful critique given to him by M. S. Randhawa. Aside from Sobha Singh, Mehar's work was also influenced Rembrandt, Raphael, Andrew Loomis, Howard Pyle, and Norman Rockwell. Eventually, a work of his depicting Maharaja Ranjit Singh was recognized and he was bestowed with an award.[2]

He completed a painting of Guru Gobind Singh after receiving a commission from S. S. Anand. Motivation from Satbir Singh led him to completing a work depicting Banda Singh Bahadur. Some institutions that commissioned him to complete Sikh history-related paintings were the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Bank of Punjab, and Punjab and Sindh Bank.[2]

In the 1980s, Mehar Singh shifted to Chandigarh.[5] In 2001, he received the Sardar Sobha Singh memorial award.[4] In around 2005, he stopped painting due to an accident he suffered from.[2] In 2012, he was gifted the Punjab Rattan Award.[3] In December 2019, his sons brought him to Delhi from Chandigarh due to his poor health. Mehar Singh died on 26 August 2020 and his ashes were laid in a crematorium in Delhi on the same day.[2][4]

Style

Mehar Singh's works are influenced by realism, particularly classical realism, clarity of thought, and depth of composition. He utilized various colours to create richness in his compositions, with the paintings being precises and true-to-life. Special attention was paid to the attire of the depicted figures, such as jewellery and costume.[6] He was a painter of the Yakhartha style whose subject matter of art was mostly portraiture, landscape, and Sikh history. He did not believe in abstract art.[7] Bhagat Singh Bedi was influenced by the artwork of Mehar Singh.[8][9]

Collection

Some of his works depicting famous personalities are kept in the collection of the Portrait Gallery at Punjab Kala Bhawan, Sector 16 B, Chandigarh.[2]

Positions held

  • President of Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi (two consecutive terms)[2]
  • Vice Chairperson of Punjab Kala Prishad[2]

Awards

  • Sobha Suingh Memorial Award (by the Punjab Government) – 2001[2][4]
  • Punjab Kala Rattan (by Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi)[2]
  • AIFACS award[2]
  • YMCA award[2]

References

  1. ^ Sharma, Sarika (11 October 2020). "RM Singh paints the Presidents". The Tribune. Retrieved 14 November 2025. Before him, the only one from the region to have been commissioned the project was iconic artist Sobha Singh. "Giani Zail Singh had expressed the desire to be painted by the artist. However, he died before work on the portrait could be started," says RM, adding that his works are a tribute to the master painter as also Meher Singh, who recently passed away.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Artist of portraiture and paintings on Sikh History passes away at 91". Punjab Story. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Painter Mehar Singh passes away". Abhipedia. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi mourns loss of artist, Mehar Singh". Times of India. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  5. ^ Shastri, Sunita (28 August 2020). "Senior Artist and master of portraiture Mehar Singh Passed Away". Mirror 365. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  6. ^ Kaur, Manpreet (December 2024). "20th Century Realistic Punjabi Artists of India: A Study" (PDF). IJCRT. 12 (12): 690–699. ISSN 2320-2882.
  7. ^ "ਕਲਾ ਜਗਤ ਦਾ ਸਰਤਾਜ ਸੀ ਮੇਹਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਚਿੱਤਰਕਾਰ" [Mehar Singh, the painter, was the king of the art world]. Rozana Spokesman (in Punjabi). 6 September 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  8. ^ "Images on Our Site". Sikh Dharma International. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  9. ^ "Bhagat Singh Bedi: Servant of Akal Purakh Sahib, King of Sikh Art™". Sikhi Art. Retrieved 14 November 2025. At the Gurudwara, he was asked to paint some of those pages by the principal of the academy. Without prior training, the young boy got to work. He brought home many of the paperbacks he read, and started to mimic the historical works published in them; works of Sikh artists like Sobha Singh ji, Kirpal Singh ji, Devender Singh ji and Mehar Singh ji. While at home he studied Sikh artists, in high school, he studied art history, the Old Masters and Canadian artists like Lauren Harris from the Group of Seven.
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