Satish Gujral was a multifaceted creative force whose practice spanned painting, sculpture, mural-making, architecture and writing. Recognised as one of the leading figures of post-Independence Indian modernism, he devoted his career to shaping an artistic language rooted in Indian sensibilities rather than European models.

Born in 1925 in Jhelum, Punjab, Gujral spent his early years in an environment shaped by literature and visual imagination. A hearing impairment led him towards drawing and reading Urdu texts, both of which played a formative role in his artistic development. In 1939, he enrolled at the Mayo School of Art in Lahore and later continued his training at the Sir J J School of Art in Bombay. During this period, he encountered members of the Progressive Artists Group, including F N Souza, S H Raza and M F Husain. While their ideas were influential, Gujral consciously diverged from their approach, seeking instead an indigenous visual vocabulary.

A decisive phase in his career came in 1952, when he travelled to Mexico City on a scholarship to study at the Palacio de Bellas Artes. There, he apprenticed with muralists Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros, whose emphasis on public art and social engagement left a lasting impact. Inspired by their methods, Gujral went on to create large-scale frescoes and murals, receiving commissions both in India and internationally.

Over the following decades, Gujral exhibited widely and earned significant acclaim across disciplines. He received multiple National Awards for painting and sculpture and was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 1999. His architectural achievement, notably the design of the Belgian Embassy in New Delhi, earned international recognition, including the Order of the Crown from Belgium.