Gulam Rasool Santosh was a modern Indian art painter, born in Srinagar in 1929, in Kashmir. The eminent artist was known for his abstract and mystical works. As a child, he would spend hours walking in nature and would often take a long route to reach school to enjoy the beauty of the natural world around him. Sanosh’s grandfather would practise ornamental painting on papier-mâché which possibly sparked his interest in the arts. The geometric shapes of the snow-clad mountains and the mysticism of the Kashmir Valley also had a great influence on his artistic expression.

After his father's passing, Santosh dropped out of school and started working as a writer, painter, silk weaver, and whitewashing walls and got better at papier-mâché to pursue commercial art full-time. He was spotted by S H Raza because of his landscape works. In 1950, he joined the Progressive Arts Association in Kashmir which was formed as a result of Raza’s effort to mobilise Kashmiri painters. He showcased many of his works across India as a member of the association. In 1954, he won a government scholarship to study Fine Arts under painter N.S. Bendre at the MS University in Baroda. Under his guidance, he studied art and put in more focus on landscapes because of his love for the subject. Later, he started perfecting his skills in portraiture to broaden his artistic horizons.

Early on in his career, G R Santosh’s painting style was highly influenced by the Western style and painted several landscapes using Impressionist and Cubist styles. However, in the year 1964, he had a mystical experience at Amarnath caves which led to him exploring the themes of Kashmir Shaivism and Tantra. He began creating his visual imagery which appeared like modern abstractions in the Neo-tantra genre inspired by personal and spiritual visions. Many of his artworks were dominated by the themes surrounding 'Shiv-Shakti' where he merged the male and female energies as one form. These works composed in clear lines and vibrant colours invited the viewer to introspect their existence in the universe.

Apart from painting Santosh also wrote short stories, operas, dramas, and poems in Kashmiri. His Urdu novel ‘Samandar Pysasa Hai’ was well received. The Sahitya Akademi awarded him for his collection of poems in Kashmiri, titled ‘Besukh Ruh’ in 1979. His poetries are a reflection of his thoughts that the artist couldn’t express through paint. Since 1953, Santosh has held over 30 one-man shows in India, the U.S.A., Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The artist's paintings have been exhibited in many national and international shows, including at the Sao Paolo Biennale (1969-1972), Triennale-India (1968-1978), National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi (1984), and the Neo-Tantra Art, U.C.L.A., Los Angeles (1986). G R Santosh was honoured with the National Award in 1973, and Padma Shri in 1977. He won the Artist of the Year Award in New Delhi in 1984. The artist passed away on 10th March 1997, in New Delhi but G R Santosh’s art continues to inspire and captivate the attention of his admirers across the world.