Description

D. G. Kulkarni (1921–1992), known as Dizi, was an Indian painter, cartoonist and sculptor. He remained independent throughout his career apart from brief affiliations with the Progressive Artists’ Group and the Bombay Group. As a student at the Sir J. J. School of Art and in the early years of his career, D. G. worked as a part-time illustrator and cartoonist to support his passion for painting. It was at this time that he acquired the sobriquet Dizi. "I stand in the centre of life and surrender without losing myself." Dizi's versatility as an artist is reflected in the three distinct media he explored - drawings, paintings and sculpture. His work reflects an honesty of expression rather than a desire for external approval. His closest friends and contemporaries in the art world, V. S. Gaitonde and S. B. Palsikar, shared this philosophy that their artistic integrity must never be compromised. Dizi received the Lalit Kala Akademi Award in 1967 and the Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar in 1990.