Gobardhan Ash was a close contemporary of the early stalwarts of Modernism in India. In 1926,he joined the Government School,Calcutta however he wasn't satisfied with what he learnt in Calcutta for four years. He joined the Government School of Art in Madras in 1930 where Debi Prasad Roychowdhury was the principal. It was under Debi Prasad that he was initiated into the school of rugged realism.
He joined the 'Calcutta Group' of 1943 & much later in 1956 he started teaching at the Indian College of Art & Draughtsmanship.
A prolific artist,he painted many portraits,self-portraits,landscapes & the spontaneity of children's activities.
However it was the Bengal Famine of 1943 that inspired him to change his technique of painting. His Famine series is remembered with great respect along with those of Chittaprosad & Zainul Abedin.
He was awarded the Abanindra Puraskar by the Government of West Bengal in 1984 & in 1996 was felicitated by the Lalit Kala Akademi,New Delhi.
His paintings can be found in the permanent collection of The National Gallery of Modern Art,New Delhi; Academy of Fine Arts,Calcutta; Birla Academy of Art & Culture,Calcutta; Museum of Bengal Modern Art,Calcutta; Kolkata High Court; Gajah Art Gallery,Singapore; Scottish Church College,Kolkata,Osian's Mumbai amongst others.
