'Within modern Indian art, Gulam Rasool Santosh is synonymous with the school that came to be known as neo-tantra, associated with artists such as Sohan Qadri and Biren De. Rising from humble origins, Santosh's art followed the trajectory of other Indian modernists till a chance mystical experience in the hills outside Srinagar prompted him into a lifelong study and practice of tantra and a profound change in his painting. Returning to his native Kashmir and its Shaivic traditions for spiritual and artistic inspiration, G. R. Santosh's art was deeply imbued with his spiritual quest, leading in time to the tantra-inspired paintings he came to be known by.

This first-ever retrospective of this radical artist - he took on his wife's name, 'Santosh' as his own - traces his entire artistic journey, beginning from his early period of abstracts, portraits and figurative works to the dramatic change in subject matter and form post his mystical experience. The exhibition presents works from his transitional early tantric period, to the mature tantra works that reflect his deep spiritual commitment. It also sheds light on the lesser-known aspects of his rich creative life: collating his writings, poetry, comic book sketches, drawings and incomplete research on tantra symbols.' (Front Flap)

This catalogue accompanies the exhibition of the same title at Delhi Art Gallery from December 2011 to January 2012.