Famous Painters of India

There have been many painters from India who have changed the dynamics of art in India and at the same time bring glory to the country in the realm of art.

This article will in brief give details about the famous painters of India within the context of the UPSC Mains Exam

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List of Famous Painters of India

1. Raja Ravi Varma: Raji Ravi Varma is known as the ‘Father of Indian Modern Art’. He was one on of the first artists to achieve international acclaim. Hailing from Kilimanoor (now in Kerala state), he was born in 1848 to a family of writers and scholars, taking an interest in painting at an early age.

He produced a number of works between 1870 and 1878, where he painted portraits of the elite society of Kilimanoor as well as that of British Officials. His paintings were put up in exhibitions at Vienna in 1873 where gained worldwide recognition. One of his works ‘Radha in Moonlight was auctioned off for INR 24 crore.

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2. Amrita Sher-Gil: Known for her talent, courage and flamboyant way of life, Amrita Sher-Gil was the youngest artist and the only Asian to be nominated for Associate of the Grand Salon in Paris in 1933. It was her creation titled ‘Young Girls’ which led to her nomination. Despite her achievement in Europe, she always longed to return to her homeland and the thought haunted her for the rest of her life. According to Amrita, prominent names such as Matisse, Picasso, and Braque belonged to Europe, whereas she belonged to India.

3. Vasudeo S Gaitonde: Vasudeo S Gaitonde was born in Nagpur, Maharashtra. He is known for his abstract art and even received a Padma Shri for his works. Despite the accolades he was not a fan of words as evidenced by the fact that most of his paintings were left untitled.

A man of simple states, he preferred to live in his one-room apartment in Delhi’s Nizamuddin East where he spent most of the time creating some of his most exclusive paintings.

4. S.H. Raza: S.H. Raza came from a humble background. Making his way to Mumbai, he tried enrolling in the J.J School of Art but was not . successful. To make ends meet, he found work at a block maker’s studio. It was here that S.H. Raza produced some of his outstanding paintings which captured the daily life of the people in his surroundings.

Despite being young and inexperienced, his paintings captured the in-depth maturity when it came to understanding art.  His work was noticed and soon enough became one of the founding members of the Progressive Artists Group. Fascinated by the beliefs, culture, and origins. After the discovery and adoption of ‘Bindu,’ his paintings took on new dimensions, giving his limited subject matter and theme body of work a new lease on life. Raza also created some captivating paintings based on the concept of Tribhuj or Triangle.

5. Tyeb Mehta:  Tyeb Mehta lived a humble existence. His greatest work was the portrayal of the fabled buffalo-headed demon in Hindu mythology being destroyed by Goddess

It was sold for INR 11 crore at a Christie’s auction in 2005. The sale was historic because it was the first time a contemporary Indian art was sold for more than a million dollars

6. Rabindranath Tagore: Rabindranath Tagore was an artist as well as a poet. He began painting late in his career when he was in his sixties, working on a range of imagery include, mystic landscapes, animals, bird, flowers etc. Rabindranath Tagore went on to create thousands of works of art, becoming the first Indian artist to display his work in Europe, Russia, and the United States in 1930.

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