The Persistent Quest

The Persistent Quest reflects the artistic journey of Ranjit Singh Gaekwad of Baroda, whose commitment to art echoes the traditional Indian ideal of a Raja’s accomplishments. Like his great-grandfather Sayajirao Gaekwad III, a noted patron of Ravi Varma, Ranjit Singh is not only a connoisseur but also a trained musician and a full-fledged painter. A graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Baroda, and later trained at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, he studied under Charles Mahoney and Peter Greenham, absorbing a deep respect for medium and craft.

Over four decades, Ranjit Singh has remained a serious and persistent painter. Free from the need to paint for livelihood, his work expresses his own strong will and temperament. His drawings strengthened by hatchings, tonal washes, and a spontaneous mastery of line convey everyday humanity with accuracy and sensitivity. Whether clothed models, nudes, portraits, or torsos, his figures inhabit their own space and express his proposition: "My skill is what I am."

His landscapes, often structured like Cezanne’s, reflect his command over composition and colour, contributing to a visual architecture. In his elaborate compositions, objects and figures form tight, expressive symphonies of observation. From expressive faces and stylized female nudes to reinterpretations of icons like Sarasvati and Lakshmi, his visual language balances mastery and humility.

Ranjit Singh’s stylized line drawings and sculptural silhouettes of musicians further reveal his experimental approach. Yet, with all his range, he maintains an unpretentious commitment to visual joy, tradition, and personal truth, marking The Persistent Quest not just as a retrospective, but as an ongoing dialogue between observation, style, and inner conviction.