Saturday 30 January 2016

Amrita Sher-Gil- Pride of Indian Art. Born: January 30, 1913 Today is a day of celebration in Art world- birthday


Today is a day of celebration in Art world- birthday of most prominent first Indian woman painter Amrita Sher-Gil. Amrita proved herself when it was not very easy for an Indian woman to project her talents and skills worldwide. Though she had the advantage of her aristocrat heredity and a Hungarian mother. Earlier stages of her short-lived life was spent in Budapest, Hungary. 

Born: January 30, 1913, Budapest, Hungary( image wikipedia)


She did her art schooling in Paris, none of her earlier paintings were close to Indian context, in fact she was influenced by European painters Gaugin such as Paul Cezanne and Paul along with the influence of her teacher Lucien Simon and some of her artists friends and lovers. While in Paris here paintings were westernised and quiet similar to Bohemian style that was a trend in 1930s.  

Group of Three Girls, Oil on canvas, January 1935 ( image NGMA Mumbai)


But her sixth sense always pulled her towards India. She and her husband stayed in Saraya, Gorakhpur. Her touring in India took her to remote places and village life, women plight grabbed her attention. This was the ultimate destination and fervour of Amrita Sher-Gil. Her paintings had a powerful impact like the maestros of Bengal school of art. Her paintings portray plight of Indian women, villages he the raw and remote beauty of India. Her paintings were similar to Bengal School of art maestros such as Rabindranath Tagore and Abanindranath Tagore. Indian tradition was root of her creation and remained lifelong. 

South Indian Villagers Going to Market, 1937.
( image wikipedia)


Amrita Sher-Gil lived in pre-colonial era. Her family was much influenced by British Raj. But she was the supporter of Congress and Gandhiji’s philosophy. The grandeur of her paintings lie in the poverty, downtrodden people and village life that she excellently portrays with her perfect sense of colour. It seems as if she lived their life. The paintings are empathetic. Her feelings for poor rural India. The paintings impressed Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru when he visited her at Saraya, and he proposed to consider them for the Congress propaganda for village reconstruction. 

Portrait of leading leaders
( image google)

During the Independence period many artists used their art for political propaganda. Many were successful and became famous by drawing portrait of leading leaders. Art was instrumental in Indian Independence. But here it is important to note that Amrita Sher-Gil was most influential woman artists equal to men of the time. Earlier she also had the honour of becoming the youngest and only Asian artist to be elected as an Associate of the Grand Salon in Paris. If we calculate her treasure of paintings in commercial terms, then she is one of the most expensive painters of the world. Her life full of affairs and friendship with men and women makes her life look like a story of novel. Other than becoming inspiration for contemporary artists her life and works also influences works of literature like Urdu play ‘Tumhari Amrita’ by Javed Siddiqi, novel ‘Faking It’ by Amrita Chowdhury and so on.


Truly genius!              by Pankaja JK Art Blogazine

(2016 - No copyright claim of any image by Writer or Artblogazine.com)
(2016 - No copyright claim of any image by Writer or Artblogazine.com)

send feedback to JK  pankjajk@gmail.com 

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Monday 4 January 2016

"JITISH KALLAT: Covering Letter " which opens on the 15th of January 2016.

Delighted to begin this year's programming with 
"JITISH KALLAT:
 Covering Letter " which opens on the 15th of January 2016.

Jitish Kallat is at the forefront of India's contemporary art movement and and his work has been shown extensively across India and the world. 
In 'Covering Letter', he uses a piece of historical correspondence - a brief letter written by Gandhi to Hitler in 1939 urging him to reconsider his violent means. 

It is in line with some of his earlier works such as ‘Public Notice’ (2003), 'Public Notice 2' (2007), and 'Public Notice 3' (2010) where a historic speech becomes a device for contemplation.


The exhibition is part of the JNAF and the CSMVS'  efforts to engage more actively with practitioners of modern and contemporary art and provide audiences an opportunity to engage with their work. 

Please join us for the opening at 6pm at the Jehangir Nicholson Gallery, CSMVS, and thereafter to a conversation between Homi Bhabha and Jitish Kallat at the Museum Lawns.  

Friday 1 January 2016

Perceptive Recitals : 'Recite a poetry and it hums within the space.'


Perceptive Recitals is a connotation attributed to the collective emergence by artists who have similar artistic socio-cultural background. The sensibilities, that enrich and nurture them, runs parallel resulting in the development of coherent expressions.

Participating Artists: Urvi Chheda, Henal Visaria, Swapnil Godase and  Hetal Shah atArt Gate Gallery, Churchgate, Mumbai. .


The artists bring forth holistic approaches of art devoid of political digressions in their contexts. The artworks reflect the processual features of present and attempt in projecting the virtues of enlivening the moment and exploring the wider aspects of sustenance.
Henal Visaria | Warrior | Concrete and Metal | 24 in

Henal Visaria, graduate from Sir J J School of Art, from the department of Sculpture in 2010, exchanges her role from being a sincere home-maker to a sculptor and deals with mediums that are painstaking and timely that evolves her patience as well as forte. She has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Mumbai and her artworks are owned by multiple private collectors. Henal continues practice at her studio in the suburb of Borivli, Mumbai. Artist through her sculptural attribution is in the attempting status to withdraw the inner chaos that governs the populace of the present culture.
Swapnil Godase | Emotion | Stainless steel, Mild steel and Brass | 48 in

Swapnil Godase, graduate from Sir J J School of Art in 2010 and an ardent art practitioner jostles his time from setting up large murals to pondering over his personal aesthetic expressions. Adept in metals of Copper, Brass, Mild steel, Stainless steel, etc., he has emerged expertise in building large sized murals at numerous residential and commercial spaces as well as his artworks have become part of many collections. Swapnil Godase assisted by his co-workers practices in a large and active studio space at hustling and buzzing locality of Reay road, Mumbai. The exchange of the contradictory virtues of the besetting surrounding and its play amongst individuals is projected in the huge metal welded portraits structured by the artist.
Rutwika Sawant | Untitled | Acrylic on Canvas


Rutwika Sawant, graduate from L S Raheja School of Art in 2010, delves with great patience as well as perseverance with the subjects she carves onto her canvas. . She has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Mumbai. Rutwika continues to practice at her space in suburb of Dahisar, Mumbai. Spontaneity and the significance of presence acts as strength, for her, to release the tacit movements of conscience. Playing with same concepts she fiddles with her mediums to develop an abstract language of flat width of colour washes on her canvasses.
Hetal Shah | Untitled |Acrylic on Canvas

Hetal Shah, a Graduate Diploma holder from L S Raheja School of Art, Mumbai and Masters in Indology from Tilak Vidyapeeth, Pune, has participated in varied group exhibitions across galleries in Mumbai like Artist Centre, Jehangir Art Gallery and Pradarshak Art Gallery. Switching her roles from being a sincere spouse to a disciplined teacher at NES National Public School (Mumbai), to a bright painter, she squeezes out space and time to regularly paint her canvases and create her world of imagery by dispensing colorful palettes of fluorescent thoughts. Hetal lives and practices in the suburban city of Dombivli, Mumbai. The paintings exhibit a wide spectrum of emotions of hope, love, relief, courage, contentment, relaxation, excitement etc. The artist does not part from what she expresses; she asserts being in oneness with her artworks. 

Deepali Raiththa | Blue Journey | Performance

Deepali Raiththa, graduate from Sir J J School of Art, majoring in Interior Design in 2010 is an optimist by her attitude and brims with zeal to perform and conclude her tasks. On the same grounds of reason, she pursued Post Baccalaureate in Visual Art during 2014-15, from San Francisco Institute of Art, CA, USA, exploring multifarious genres and exclusively developing interest in Performance Art. Execution of fourteen residential sites and numerous commercial spaces in Gujarat and Mumbai to her name through carrying forth her as Freelance professional, Deepali practices at her studio in Vapi, Gujarat. Through her performances and video installation , she is in the process to experience the momentary phenomena that is constantly changing.

Urvi Chheda | Untitled | Poly-urethane coating on Mild Steel | 24 x 23 x 13 in


Urvi Chheda graduate from Sir J J School of Art in 2010 in Metal Work, combines her schedule of research to her expression of sculptural installations. Interested avidly in history and research she has pursued Certificate course in Indian Aesthetics, Ancient Indian Arts and Sciences as well as Post Graduate Diploma in Comparative Mythology from University of Mumbai. Urvi practises at her space in the remote suburb of Nallasopara, Mumbai. Probing deeper in the mediums that the artist grasped from her learning   of  restoration, she fiddles with varied organic as well as inorganic material to emerge with sculptural practices that reverberate with the concepts that are innately relevant to life, living and the cohesion of matrix that conjoins them.
Perceptive Recitals, reflecting on the same grounds, brings forth paintings, sculptures as well as a performance that meanders in the region of 'now' and spontaneity with vigour and zeal. 

 by Urvi Chheda



The exhibition continues from 7th to 13th January at ArtGate Gallery, Churchgate, Mumbai.

Art Gate Gallery- 1st Floor (above Satyam Collection) Chheda Sadan 115, J Tata Road Churchgate Mumbai, India