As appreciators of art, we celebrate the works of artists we admire, delving deep into their layers to find meaning in form, colour and stroke. But it is their equally vibrant personal lives behind the canvas that unveil a stronger connection and understanding of their art. Nasreen Mohamedi and Jeram Patel were born a few years apart in the 1930s and came from different cities and backgrounds, their paths almost crossing when they went to study the arts in Europe. It was, however, during the ’60s in Bombay that they became firm friends, and later lifelong colleagues at the The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, until her untimely death in 1990.

Stirring Still juxtaposes Mohamedi’s tempered architectural-like linear drawings against Patel’s bold use of material, colour and fire