Veteran artist and litterateur Manuj Babu Mishra—noted for his distinct approach to art, blending the elements of surrealism and symbolism, evident most prominently in his famous Monalisa series—has passed away. Mishra was 83.

Mishra, who had been suffering from high blood pressure since long, was found dead in his residence in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. The cause of the death was heart attack, according to family sources.

Reportedly, Mishra had not gotten out of his residence for over two decades, following the restoration of multi-party democracy in 1990. “It is not that I am a royalist, it is just that I do not like this multiparty system at all,” the artist is quoted saying.

Originally from Gorkha, Mishra served as a deputy secretary in government service, which he left after three-four months, before settling into the life of a full-time painter and writer, as he revealed in an interview.

Along with painting, Mishra was also active in writing; Mishra’s latest book is Hermitage: Adhai Dasak Gufa ma (translated to English roughly as, Hermitage: Two-and-a-half Decades in the Cave).

Mishra is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.