Noted painter, art historian Dinanath Pathy passes away

Bhubaneswar: Eminent painter, writer and art historian Dinanath Pathy passed away following a cardiac arrest at a hospital in Bhubaneshwar, on Monday, family sources said. He was 74.

Pathy was admitted to the private hospital here after he complained of chest pain. Known for his versatility, Pathy was a former secretary of Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi and Bhubaneswar and is regarded as the pioneer of the art movement in Odisha.

Founder Principal of the prestigious B K College of Art and Crafts at Bhubaneswar, the distinguished painter dedicated his life to the promotion of Odia art across the globe through his art work, poetry and teaching.

A recipient of several awards, Pathy had been honoured with 'President of India Silver Plaque' for painting. He was also nominated for the prestigious international Rietberg Award of Switzerland-based 'Rietberg Society' in 2014 in recognition of his contributions to research on Indian art history. He had also been conferred with Orissa Sahitya Akademi Award for creative literature for his autobiography 'Drawing Master of Digapahandi' and Jawaharlal Fellowship for his research work.

Pathy has more than 50 books to his credit in English, Odia and German on classical, traditional, tribal, folk, rural and contemporary art of Odisha. His works have been acclaimed within the country and abroad. His demise was condoled by a host of prominent personalities including Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Odisha Culture Minister Ashok Panda, MPs Baijayant Panda and Prasanna Patsani.

Expressing deep grief over the demise of Pathy, Patnaik said his demise has created a vacuum in the art world in Odisha. Pathy was a highly talented and dedicated artist whose creations and research works were of high quality, he said in a message.

Dharmendra Pradhan said Odisha has lost a messenger of art and culture in the demise of Pathy.