Dinanath Pathy, who hails from Odisha, was a noted painter, author and art historian. He was instrumental in taking the state's art internationally. From his humble beginnings of painting theatre curtains, he was the secretary of the National Academy of Art and Lalita Kala Akademi, New Delhi and president of Odisha Lalita Kala Akademi. He was the Founder Principal of B K College of Art and Craft, Bhubaneshwar.
He uses a monochromatic palette of browns to paint the rural farm scene in the paintings. Pathy was awarded the President of India Silver Plaque for painting, Odisha Sahitya Academy Award for his autobiography and Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship for his artistic research. He was nominated for the International Rietberg Award from the Rietberg Society. He exhibited his paintings widely in India as well as internationally. He authored and published several books, which include various art historical volumes, poetry and short stories.