Education:

• 1924-1925- Gujarat College, Ravishankar Raval Art classes, Ahmedabad

• 1925-1926 - J.J. School of Arts, Mumbai

• 1926-1927- Joined Baroda Kalabhavan to study under Promod Kumar Chatterjee

• 1928- Joined Indian Society of Oriental art, Calcutta, to study under Kshitindranath Mazumdar.

Teaching Period:

• 1929- Art teacher at "Dakshinamurti", Bhavnagar.

• 1943- Taught briefly at Kumarshala and Gharshala, Bhavnagar

• 1944- Art Teacher at Alfred High School, Bhavnagar

History:

Somalal Shah was an Indian painter and art teacher born in Kapadvanj, Gujarat. He enrolled in Sir J. J. School of Art in Mumbai in 1926 and then the Indian Society of Oriental Art in Kolkata as a result of his interest in the arts. His renowned career as an artist began with Rang Rekha in 1934–1955, and he quickly won over the royal family of Bhavnagar with it.

He was noted for his use of delicate oil color strokes in paintings. In addition to his distinctive styles of Indian miniature paintings and the Bengal revivalist movement, this artist is renowned for using European techniques to Indian subjects. Even though he had studied naturalistic art, he felt drawn to the Bengal School's wash style. On Ravibhai’s advice he enrolled in a one-year course of study under Promod Kumar Chatterji in Baroda. He was greatly influenced by Nandalal Bose and Abanindranath Tagore. Later Somalal enrolled in school by the Indian Society of Oriental Art and worked under the supervision of Kshitindranath Mazumdar. He adopted the Wash process, which eventually acquired his distinctive style. Poet Prahlad Parekh referred to his paintings as poetry in verse. His exquisite watercolors and sketches themselves displayed a discipline that is presently fairly uncommon among artists. He introduced art to the ordinary man's consciousness in the pre-independent era. Mahatma Gandhi's influence led to the shift in perspective from mythological and historical topics to representations of the modern ordinary man and rural life, particularly those that are recognisable from the local society. He painted animals and birds based on observation and regularly practiced in nature.

He devoted himself entirely to art for more than three decades in Saurashtra, where he painted scenes of rural life and culture.

He was awarded the highest honor in Gujarati culture,Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak in 1949. He received the Gaurav Puraskar in 1968 by Gujarat State Lalit Kala Akadami. In 1989, he received the Ravishankar Raval State Award for Arts by the Government of Gujarat. In 1988, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation felicitated him. He was also the recipient of an award from the Gujarat Lalit Kala Akadami.

He passed away in 1994.