Desmond Peter Lazaro is a British artist who has lived in India for ...

Desmond Peter Lazaro is a British artist who has lived in India for over 15
years. After completing a painting degree in the UK (1987- 90), he was awarded
the Commonwealth Scholarship to India. There he undertook his Masters degree
in Painting at the M.S.University of Baroda. During this period (1990- 94) he
traveled India extensively and began to research the Pichhvai painting tradition
of Rajasthan.
His inclination toward traditional painting took him to Master Bannu Ved Pal
Sharma the Jaipur miniaturist who became his Guru and over the next 11 years
he learnt the craft of miniature and Pichhvai painting under his guidance. An
experience later documented as part of his doctoral dissertation at the Prince’s
School of Traditional Art, London (2002). After completing his PhD he was
appointed as Academic Director to the Department of Traditional Arts,
University of Balqa, Amman, Jordan. A position held for several years (2003/5)
overseeing the establishment of the Universities first painting department.
In 2004 his research became the catalyst for an exhibition at the Museum
Rietberg, Zurich, Switzerland and in 2005 his thesis was published as ‘Materials,
Methods & Symbolism in the Pichhvai Painting Tradition of Rajasthan’ (Mapin,
India). The book illustrates each aspect of the craft from iconography to color
symbolism and geometry to pigment preparation, drawing upon a wealth of
traditional painting techniques from across India, Persia, Nepal and South East
Asian.
Having returned to India in 2004 he then founded Lazaro & Co: The hand made
pigments company.
In 2005 he began collaborating with the Prince’s School of Traditional Art,
London, UK on a project, which, aims to establish a National School of
Traditional Art in north India.
To facilitate this Desmond founded T.A.T: the Traditional Arts Trust, in February
2006. T.A.T is a non profit, non government organization whose prime objective
is the revival and continuity of traditional painting in North India, with specific
reference to Pichhvai and Miniature painting. T.A.T’s first project will be the
establishment of 6 Gurukhul’s (micro centers of learning) throughout Rajasthan
in: Udaipur, Nathdwara, Bhilwara, Jaipur, New Delhi and Kota. The project will
sponsor the training of 2 young craftsmen for a period of two years, after which
they will join the National School of Traditional Art in New Delhi. Here they will
continue training for a further two years, receiving a broader art education, so
that they are able meet the challenge of making traditional art within a
contemporary context.
In 2007 Desmond moved to Goa and has returned to contemporary based
painting and is currently preparing for is first one-man show at the Chemould
Gallery, Mumbai, India (September 2008).