Kolte (b. 1946) educated from Sir J.J. School of Arts, Mumbai. As a purely abstract painter, Prabhakar Mahadeo Kolte’s concern lies not in the world of tangible reality, but in the intangible, the unseen essence which is hidden within. In his paintings, mostly ‘Untitled’ and of rectangular composition, Kolte creates bold bands of sensuous abstract forms in austere greys, with some flashes of pinks, mauves, whites, greens and blues, as if out of the mysterious depth there are glimpses of light, brightening up the surface of the painting. The poet-painter describes this as darshan, akin to a mystical experience or revelation. According to him, his ‘works reflect a state of vision that does not symbolise anything but itself. It is neither representative or interpretative, neither expressive nor illustrative’. The subject is not important, it is the experience of abstract delight and ecstatic revelation his paintings evoke that is important. A brilliant teacher, lover of music and literature, Prabhakar Mahadeo Kolte is a committed artist who continues to inspire the young generation of contemporary India.