Uttam Nepali
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Uttam Prasad Karmacharya, better known as Uttam Nepali (; 30 April 1937 – 21 July 2021), was a Nepali visual artist, writer, and actor. A modernist painter, he was one of the pioneers of abstract art and experimentation in Nepal. He was also instrumental in establishing formal art education in Nepal. He produced abstractionist,
expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...
and surrealist paintings throughout the 1960s and 70s, which were exhibited throughout Asia. Nepali acted in two films in the early 1960s; he also published poetry. He was a lifetime member of
Nepal Academy The Nepal Academy ( ne, नेपाल प्रज्ञा–प्रतिष्ठान), formerly known as Royal Nepal Academy ( ne, नेपाल राजकीय प्रज्ञा–प्रतिष्ठान), is an autonomo ...
since 2000. Among his awards were National Genius Award, 2014, and ''Suprawal Janasewa Tritiya''. He was married and had four children. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in later life. He died of cardiovascular problems in July 2021, aged 84.


Early life

Uttam Nepali was born Uttam Prasad Karmacharya on 30 April 1937 (
Bikram Sambat Vikram Samvat (IAST: ''Vikrama Samvat''; abbreviated VS) or Bikram Sambat B.S. and also known as the Vikrami calendar, is a Hindu calendar historically used in the Indian subcontinent. Vikram Samvat is generally 57 years ahead of Gregorian Calend ...
: 18 Baisakh 1994) in
Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...
, Nepal. His father wanted him to become a businessman. However, he was determined to become a painter. He studied arts at the
Lucknow College of Arts and Crafts The Lucknow College of Arts and Crafts (LCAC), also known as the Government College of Arts and Crafts (GCAC) or simply the College of Arts and Crafts (CAC), was founded in 1911. It is affiliated to University of Lucknow. Sri Alok Kumar is princ ...
. In 1967, he graduated from the
Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art The Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy School of Art (Sir J. J. School of Art) is the oldest art institution in Mumbai, India, and is affiliated with the University of Mumbai. The school grants bachelor's degrees in fine art and sculpture, and Master's de ...
, Mumbai.


Career

In 1959, after completing his studies from
Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
, Nepali returned to Kathmandu where he held an exhibition at the
Tri-Chandra College Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, more colloquially known as Tri-Chandra College, is a constituent campus of Tribhuvan University located in Ghantaghar, Kathmandu. Found in 1918 by Chandra Shumsher, it is the oldest institute of higher learning in Ne ...
. After the exhibition, King Mahendra bought many of his paintings. In the beginning, Nepali used to paint about Hindu gods like
Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva_(Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is ...
; later, he moved towards modern art. Sometimes Nepali used to write poem verses in his paintings, especially, written by poets Bhupi Sherchan, and Bhim Nidhi Tiwari. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, he produced paintings employing modernist forms like expressionism, abstractionism, abstract-expressionism and surrealism, and incorporating traditional Nepali themes, paper and colour. His works have been exhibited in Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Japan, South Korea, the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
, Australia, among others. Nepali was one of the first people to establish art education in Nepal. He was awarded various accolades for his work including the National Genius Award in 2014 and the Suprabal Janasewa Tritiya Award. In 2000, he was awarded to be a lifetime member of the
Nepal Academy The Nepal Academy ( ne, नेपाल प्रज्ञा–प्रतिष्ठान), formerly known as Royal Nepal Academy ( ne, नेपाल राजकीय प्रज्ञा–प्रतिष्ठान), is an autonomo ...
. He acted in two Nepali films, ''Aama'' (1964) and ''Hijo Aaaj Bholi'' (1964). In 2004, he published his poetry collection titled ''Uttam Nepalika Kavitaharu''.


Personal life

He was married to Mandira Karmacharya; they had two sons and two daughters.


Death

Nepali died on 21 July 2021 due to
heart problems Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, ...
, in the
Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital is well known public hospital in Nepal.This was established in 1982. Initially it had 300 bed facility which is now increased and now it has 700 bed facility. this hospital is the site of Under Tribhuvan Un ...
. The same day, he was cremated at the Pashupati Aryaghat. He had previously been diagnosed with
respiratory The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies gre ...
, heart, and Alzheimer's diseases.


References

1937 births 2021 deaths 20th-century Nepalese male actors 20th-century Nepalese painters 21st-century Nepalese painters 21st-century Nepalese poets Nepalese actors Nepalese painters Nepalese poets Writers from Kathmandu Male actors from Kathmandu Nepalese Hindus Nepali-language poets


External links

* {{IMDb name, id=nm4657556