S. H. Godbole Biography 
S. H. Godbole was a painter who lived in Maharashtra during the period 1885-1972. He was an exponent of painting using watercolour medium and he excelled in portraits, landscapes and scenes of rural India. He has also conducted art exhibitions in Mumbai who has organised the annual ‘Monsoon Art Exhibitions’ in Pune while serving as secretary of Bombay Art Society, Pune. Young Men with Ganesha on Ocean Beach" is one of his famous works. Well-known artist and painter Mumbiram, best known for his leadership of the Rasa Renaissance is his grandson.
His full name is Shankar Hari Godbole. He was born in Wai, a religious centre in Maharashtra in 1885. He was born into a family of religious priests, who traditionally worshipped in temples. They were well versed in Vedas and took worship as their profession. Shankar’s father name is Hari Ganesh Godbole, who authored ‘Aatmavidyaa’ and ‘Jeevitavidyaa’. Since young Shankar studied English and later taught at Pune in schools. He also remained a school principal. He married Varanasi Vartak and had four daughters. His wife died of tuberculosis in 1935 and later he married a widow. He had one son from second marriage.
He joined Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy School of Art, but later dropped out his studies along with a friend Narayan Eranna Puram to follow independent path. They founded the “Institute of Modern Art” in Pune in the 1930s. He became the secretary of the Pune branch of the Bombay Art Society in the 1930s. He organised the annual Monsoon exhibitions of the Bombay Art Society while serving as secretary. Since then he conducted many art exhibitions. Yet he hesitated to display his own works in such exhibitions. “Institute of Modern Art” later evolved as “Bharatiya Kala Prasarini Sabha”.
Published: January 28, 2019
Updated: January 28, 2019
