OSHO's Signature as Art

Not many people know that Rajneesh Mohan Chandra(OSHO) wove magic with colors as much as he did with words. Osho is well-known as an enlightened Master and mystic, but he is less well known as a painter, a painter of pure poetry.

"I am not an artist, I am the art itself,
Where the artist disappeared into art itself, I do not know".

"...Expressions of existence, I hold the brush, Existance is the creativity..."

A painting by OSHO in his younger days
signed as RMC(Rajneesh Mohan Chandra)

Some of them priced at Rs 40000/- onwards

Each signatures are sold today on websites

Edition: 300
Year: 10.10.1974
Price: $800(approximately Rs 40000)

Size: 90cm x 60cm
Medium: Silkscreen

He used bright colored markers, blot ink and felt-tip pens to make usually spherical designs on a blank page at the beginning or at the end of the volume.

OSHO started these during the 70s.

They seem to represent the evolving stages of a sage.

It is stated by the OSHO Commune, Pune that OSHO created about 900 so called ‘signature paintings’ inscribed on the blank cover pages of his books, as part of his extended signature.

OSHO's signatures. Signing every book he read, he used 'Old signatures' in 3 parts and 'New signatures' in one flow, OSHO did not sign his name, instead wrote in Sanskrit 'Namaste from Rajneesh'.

The shift from old to new signatures was a continuous process, and we see a gradual change of signature from a  simple in the beginning to new calligraphic signature colored with felt tip-pen.

Also old signatures are occasionally colored.

All books in Lao Tzu Library are signed, with dates in Hindi in Hindi books and in English in English books.

Many sanyasins use these to meditate on

When reading a book, OSHO sometimes made a drawing. He would call for a book he liked the most that week and then painted its philosophy or essence.

The Beloved Master read 1000s of books and on all of them he sketched unique drawings that are known as OSHO Signature Art.

On filling colors in these drawings, they blossom as beautiful paintings.

Each of these signature is different from the other and that is where the uniqueness of His art lies.

Osho art is also known as enlightened art.

His life and his being were Art itself, and his paintings overflow with the fragrance and beauty of enlightenment.

They are unique, mysterious, significant and are unlike anything the art world has ever seen before.

Some 3.500 books contain various styles of his signature in color or as part of a painting, all written with different colored felt-tip pens.

As per OSHO there are 2 categories of art

Subjective art and objective art.

Subjective art reflects artists dreams and pains, such as European art.

Objective art is impersonal

When both blend, they we get holy art that which is 'whole'.

Indian Art are objective art

Signature Art

'Good art is nothing but a copy of perfections of God' - Michelangelo

These touches the soul in unseen ways.

Be it a blue-green tree swaying in the wind.

They stand out for their lack of deliberation in form.

Lines are easy, stokes fluid & expressions instinctive.

Multi-colored orbs or spiraling motion in orange.

These signify innocence, beauty, mystical insight and energy flow.

The subtle beauty of each piece conceived in vibrant color celebrate art with each stroke.

Whether OSHO attained 'wholeness' in his art is debatable.