as well as two novels and a travelogue. The human condition is the main concern of the painter manifested in his early works by the alienated individual within the city. Later the city, specifically Varanasi with its dilapidated, crammed houses, conveys a sense of hopelessness. Increasingly abstract works done in sweeping strokes of paint evoke both exultation of natural spaces and more recently an incipient violence within human habitation. As the interest in Indian art has grown, paintings by Ram Kumar are getting increasing recognition in the art market. Ram Kumar received the Padma Shri in 1972 and the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour, in 2010. Lal Bhi Udhaas Ho Sakta Hai (Even Red Can be Sad), a 2015 documentary feature directed by Amit Dutta and produced by the Government of India's Films Division charts the various works of Kumar. Personal life Ram Kumar was also the older brother of the famous Hindi writer, Nirmal Verma and younger brother of Colonel, Raj Kumar Verma. He lived and worked in Delhi until his death in 2018. Awards and honours John D. Rockefeller III Fellowship, New York, 1970 Padmashree, Government of India, 1972 Premchand Puraskar, Government of Uttar Pradesh, 1972 Kalidas Samman, Government of Madhya Pradesh, 1986 Officers Arts et Letters, Government of France, 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award, Government of Delhi, 2010 Padma Bhushan, Government of India, 2010 Fellowship of the Lalit Kala Akademi, 2011 References External links Ramkumar Artworks and Public Auction Prices and Economic Data Ram Kumar Profile, Interview and Collection of Art Works Ram Kumar – Paintings Oil Painting of Varanasi by Ram Kumar 1924 births 2018 deaths 20th-century Indian painters People from Shimla St. Stephen's College, Delhi alumni Abstract artists Hindi-language writers Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Rockefeller Fellows Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Fellows of the Lalit Kala Akademi Painters from Himachal Pradesh