IN FINE PRINT

Not one to love labels, Shyam Sharma's art withstands any and all boundaries. However, his fascination with life and its correlation with nature is consistent in all his pieces

- Neelam Gupta

From being a student of painting to later becoming a reputed teacher of printmaking, Padma Shri Shyam Sundar Sharma's journey as an artist is inspiring and commendable. As one of the finest and pioneering printmakers in India, the 81-year-old who lives and practices art in Patna, has been known within printmaking and educational circles for decades, but his extraordinary output still awaits discovery by the wider public. Considered both an experimenter and a perfectionist, the octogenarian, who is a very active artist, writer and art thinker, got his first experience in the art of printmaking from his father's printing press during his childhood. Impressions of words and colours on the printed page made him aware of the mesmerising medium of printing as a form of expression. Born at Goverdhan in Mathura district of UP, Sharma joined Lucknow College of Arts and Crafts to get an education in fine art. During this period, he produced fine woodcut prints.

Impressions of words and colours on the printed page made me aware of the mesmerising medium of printing as a form of expression