Devender Singh, an icon in the field of art was born at
Amritsar on 6th November 1947. He received his formal education
at Bombay, Amritsar, Ludhiana & Chandigarh but was initiated
into the world of art by his accomplished father. He has
participated in numerous exhibitions & got many a prestigious &
reputed awards.
For Devender Singh, painting came as an inheritance from his
father Late S.Sewak Singh a commercial artist, but the son
turned the art into one of transforming Sikh religious history
and in delightful compositions on pastels.
From his house in Sector 38, his Gurus and depictions of
episodes have reached many Sikh museums across the country and
abroad. Work never eluded Devender ever since his first
collection of paintings on Sikh women was bought by Punjab and
Sind Bank for their calendar in 1972.
Devender, a self-made man who thinks that his
hobby-turned-profession was like any other job which provides a
man with livelihood. His canvases are not in the nature of a
`satsang in colour' but carry meaningful delineation through the
countenances of Gurus, silhoutted women and the elements in
sober pastels. The walls of the Sikh museums in Paonta Sahib,
Anandpur Sahib and Golden Temple are adorned with Devender's
paintings. It did not take much time for the name to reach the
NRI Sikhs who flocked him with offers which resulted in his
paintings reaching the Sikh shrines and attached museums in
Singapore and England.
The BBC, London, too made a documentary film on him.
In fact, it was his series on `Bara Maah', based on
compositions on seasons by Guru Nanak in raag Tukhari and Guru
Arjun Dev in raag Majh which were made into calendars by Punjab
and Sind Bank and Markfed.
Apart from the Sikh history, he has done innumerable work on
Punjab culture, Hindu mythology, modern & abstract art. as well.
His main ambition now is to translate the Banis of the great
Gurus into paintings.
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