Jayesh H  Rathod was  born 12th November 1964 in the  Gujarat state in India. He completed his Post Diploma from M.S.University Vadodara (1991).  Jayesh is a recipient of several awards including the prestigious Elizabeth Greenshield award and national fellowships. He has undertaken 5 solo shows and numerous group shows throughout India. His paintings present us with poignant cityscapes, mainly submerged in chiaroscuro and nocturnal environs. The poignancy in his cityscapes is mainly achieved through his unique color palette, where warm acidic color tones melt in the presence of a jarring black outline. The effect created is of a strong graphic impact, where the color contrast is heightened through subtle variations of light and darkness.

The content of his work mirrors the city he lives in, for the city itself is a silent witness of haunting events. The artist alludes to the frenetic and furious pace inherent in the city which generates a pollution which damages not only the physical space but the emotional space, the very roots of Indian cultural heritage and core values all that has been sacred and honored throughout time. In this sense the pollution pervades the city space;  family, relationships and natural space, all shrink under the weight of ‘pipe-dreams’ Dreams born from a cultural imperialism which is spreading uniformly across the world, hypnotizing a whole generation into accepting a bland two-dimensional existence, dominated by technology. The city and its people witness this silently but the artist protests for us all.

Jayesh lives and works in Baroda.