A classic modernist, H A Gade (b.1917) is considered one of post-independence India's first abstract expressionist painters. One of the pioneers of the progressive art movement in India, he believed in an unconventional and dynamic artistic style. In his paintings, he tries to capture the abject poverty and dirty slums through patches of paint, which come together to form a kinetic scene. Yet, he continued his first love, landscapes, and would travel every few months to capture the liveliness of these places. He first painted with watercolours, later shifted to oil paints with brushes, and sometimes applied paint using a palette knife. The added texture gave his works the dynamism he believed in.
Gade graduated from the University of Nagpur in Maharashtra in 1938 and secured an MA from the Nagpur School of Art. He was one of the founder members of the Progressive Artists Group (1948) and Bombay Artists Group (1958). He first exhibited in Mumbai (1947 and 1948) at the annual exhibition of the Bombay Art Society. He was invited to exhibit at the Salon-de-Mai in Paris (1949) and showcased his works at Stanford University in the same year. Gade's paintings were also shown at the Venice Biennale (1954).
Today, his paintings are displayed at the National Gallery of Modern Art and the Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, Tata Institute for Fundamental Research, Mumbai and several European galleries.