April, a month of celebrating Modern Indian Art
Hyderabad: The history of Modern Indian Art is decorated with exquisite oeuvres by several important modernists who amalgamated the western and traditional Indian norms to create a unique and hybrid artistic idiom. With the birthdays of several important modernists, April is truly a ‘Month of Masters’ of Modern Indian Art. This celebration starts with the […]
Hyderabad: The history of Modern Indian Art is decorated with exquisite oeuvres by several important modernists who amalgamated the western and traditional Indian norms to create a unique and hybrid artistic idiom.
With the birthdays of several important modernists, April is truly a ‘Month of Masters’ of Modern Indian Art. This celebration starts with the birthday of Jamini Roy who was born on April 11, 1887. His early career flourished in painting landscapes and portraits. However, Roy grew disenchanted with creating works in western academic style and decided to turn towards a more Indian artistic expression.
April 12 celebrates the birthdays of two important post-independence artists – FN Souza and Akbar Padamsee. Born on April 12, 1924, in Goa, FN Souza studied at the Sir J J School of Art and founded the Progressive Artists’ Group. He moved to London in 1949 and initially struggled to make an impact as an artist there for a few years. However, after his first one-man exhibition at Gallery One in London, he never had to look back again.
Born on the same day in 1928, Akbar Padamsee was a multi-faceted artist who worked in a range of mediums. He was greatly inspired by the teaching of Upanishad doctrines and successfully created artworks that resonated with the Vedic philosophy. Artist KH Ara was born on April 14, 1914, and is known for bringing a newfound glory to the genre of still life. He was also the first Indian artist to focus on the female nude as a subject.
Considered to be one of the most important modernist sculptors, Somnath Hore was born on April 13, 1921. During the 1970s, Hore started doing bronze sculptures. Through his work, he expressed his feelings about major historical crises like famines and war.
And finally, April 29 is celebrated as the birthday of the great old master of Indian art, Raja Ravi Varma. An artist of unsurpassed genius, he was deeply inspired by the Indian female form and painted women from varied backgrounds.
— Sunny Chandiramani
Vice-President, Client Relations
AstaGuru Auction House
