Viren Tanwar, who was born in Hissar in 1952, completed his studies at the Government College of Art in Chandigarh, where he obtained a diploma in painting. He then went on to study at the Slade School of Art in London with funding from the British Council. Before deciding to paint full-time, he taught art at a fashion design university and took on other tasks and employment. His picture features elements of today’s life, such as harshness and joys, complexity and naivete, in a style depiction that plays with shape, colour, and light and shade. His vividly coloured canvases also have an air of commitment to them. The hashiya, or borders, of Viren’s paintings bear impressions of Ajanta murals and Pahari miniatures in addition to recollections of his rural Haryanavi upbringing, when his family practiced fabric dying and printing processes known as Lahariyas and Bandhej. 

He has worked with a variety of subjects, ranging from sensuality to spirituality, and he has included performers and acrobats among religious figures. Viren has held positions as an Associate with the North Zone Cultural Centre and a member of the General Council Secretary of the Lalit Kala Academy in Punjab.His work has shown in numerous displays in Indian towns as well as state and international expositions in Berlin, Singapore, Mexico, and other places. Among the honours he has received are the MS Randhawa Memorial, Kala Shree, and All India Fine Arts and Craft Society awards. Private and private collections in India and elsewhere own pieces of Viren’s art. He works and resides close to Delhi.