Revered as the ‘people’s painter‘, artist K.T. Shivaprasad devoted his life to portraying the struggles, aspirations and dignity of ordinary people through his art. He portrayed ordinary people as his subjects, including workers, farmers, women and folk traditions.
Born in Kodagu in 1947 into a politically influential family in Hasaan, Karnataka. Shivaprasad chose to study art against his father’s wishes. His father was L. T. Karle who was an Indian freedom fighter, politician and serial entrepreneur who founded the Karle Group.
Shivaprasad moved to Mumbai to study art at Sir J.J. School of Art in 1973. He later pursued painting. Shivaprasad believed that art should belong to the people rather than galleries alone. His distinctive style was a mix of realism and powerful symbolism. His unique style, most of the time recopy of his photographs from villages, made his paintings instantly recognisable. Whether documenting the hardships of labourers or celebrating the resilience of rural communities, his work carried an empathy for those on the margins.
He designed hundreds of artistic yet functional houses in Bengaluru, Mysuru and across Karnataka. His famous installations include the rock installation at Kavishaila, a memorial for Kannada poet Kuvempu at Kuppalli, in Shivamogga. The project was supported by Cafe Coffee Day founder V.G. Siddartha. He was close friend to Kuvempu’s son Poornachandra Tejaswi and farmers’ leader M.D. Nanjundaswamy. He took an active part in the farmers’ and Dalit movements. Including campaigns to reclaim the household objects seized by the banks by farmers by raiding the bank godowns.
He chose to stay away from cities and chose to live in his native town of Hassan. He was a recipient of the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award in 2001, he donated the gold medal he got as part of the award to an NGO working to rehabilitate the children of sex workers in Mysuru. He was also a recipient of the Varnashilpi Venkatappa Award and conducted dozens of shows across the country.
Mahesha G, a contemporary artist who works with rural characters and ordinary people, observes that Shivaprasad‘s paintings on ordinary human beings and their surroundings made these villagers prominent when displayed in the big galleries. It is very difficult to compare his painting style with any Indian artists as his style and treatment was unique.
Shivaprasad was also a close friend of 2025 International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq who is also a resident of Hassan town.
