Amrita Sher-Gil had a great artistic connection with Hungary. She developed a great passion for Brueghel's paintings.
Amrita Sher-Gil's "Group of Three Girls" (1935) stands as a poignant exploration of identity, vulnerability, and the gaze. Painted shortly after her return to India, the work marks a significant shift in her artistic focus, moving from European influences to a deeper engagement with Indian subjects.
The three figures, rendered with Sher-Gil's characteristic blend of academic training and nascent modernism, are positioned in a way that invites, yet simultaneously resists, the viewer's scrutiny.
The critical power of the painting lies in its ambiguity. Their expressions range from somber introspection to a subtle defiance, denying a singular narrative. Sher-Gil masterfully uses color and light to emphasize their earthy tones and the simplicity of their attire, contrasting with the often idealized depictions of women in traditional Indian art. However, a critique might note that despite her empathy, the subjects remain somewhat objectified, viewed through an outsider's lens, albeit a sympathetic one. The painting, while celebrated for its emotional depth and stylistic innovation, also subtly highlights the complex relationship between artist and subject, particularly when the artist navigates cultural and social distances.
Amrita Sher-Gil, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Ancient Story Teller
The painting depicts a group of villagers, predominantly women and children, gathered around an elderly figure, presumably the titular storyteller.
Sher-Gil's palette, rich with earthy tones and deep ochres, evokes the warmth and dust of rural India, while her bold, simplified forms lend a monumental quality to the ordinary.
The figures are rendered with a quiet dignity, their faces often downcast or contemplative, suggesting an absorption in the narrative being woven. The composition is tightly knit, drawing the viewer's eye to the central interaction, yet allowing for individual expressions of listening and reflection among the audience.
Critically, Sher-Gil transcends mere ethnographic observation. She imbues her subjects with an inner life, capturing not just their physical presence but their emotional landscape. The 'ancient story teller' himself is not merely a narrator but a conduit for shared heritage and collective memory, a symbol of a disappearing way of life.
Sher-Gil’s use of strong outlines and a flattened perspective, reminiscent of Post-Impressionist and Fauvist influences, serves to amplify the emotional weight rather than diminish it, creating a powerful sense of timelessness and universal human connection. The painting is a powerful commentary on tradition, community, and the enduring power of oral histories in a rapidly changing world, solidifying its place as a significant work in Indian modernism.
While living in Hungary, Amrita
Sher-Gil was used to work on larger canvases. The forms she depicted in her
paintings were simple in nature and larger, matching the canvases' area.
Some artists come as the birds of passage, dip their wings into the beauty of colours and then fly away to the land of fame. Amrita-Sher-Gil ( 1913 - 1941 ) was such a beautiful bird who visited the land of art for a short period and sang delightful songs on her canvases.
She would paint in daylight. Perhaps she disliked the happening of uploading the colours on canvas and the presence of artificial light. Painting the Indian women at work, especially the women and girls living was her preferred subject. In any case, she would not allow anyone to look at her painting before it was completed. The name of this artist was Amrita Sher-Gill
Indian Art: In India, The Bengal School of artists has done a
revolution in the field of arts and culture. It helped to reshape the modern
taste among the Indian people in general and the Artists in particular.
The movement in the modern art sector made Indian artists aware of their own heritage. Amrita Sher-Gil’s paintings help to make the modern Indian painting a talk of the international art market.
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| Self Portrait Amrita Sher-Gil |
The Artist: Amrita Sher-Gil was the child of a cross-cultural marriage, born to an Indian father and a Hungarian mother. Born
in Hungary, she had the opportunity to paint European landscapes at
an early age. While studying art in Paris, she drew inspiration from the art of Paul Cezanne and Paul
Gauguin. Perhaps, her alter-ego, to be felt as being an Indian girl, was to
spring out in future. She portrayed an Indian woman in a manner as if she
wanted to relive his life through the women she painted.
The
Subjects: On returning to India, she painted the
subjects lying in the Indian landscape. Amrita Sher-Gil, though initially
inspired by the Post-Impressionists, painted canvases depicting the lives of ordinary people in India. Women living in the hill area
of Northern India were her favourite subject.
In such a costume and appearance,
she would make her studio look more austere and painterly. And with her hair
pulled tightly back, she completed the stark and austere atmosphere which
prevailed in her studio.
Amrita painted in a realistic
style, as she had received her art education in that field. But after painting Three
Girls, her style changed. The painting became flatter and the colours
turned richer. In this painting, she depicted three girls of marriageable
age. The general feel of the painting is beauty and dignity. After this
painting, Amrita painted several frames on the subjects depicting
women.
The talent of
using colours on canvas is not enough to portray the native people;
an artist must have some attachment and knowledge about the real life of the
people he or she is portraying. Amrita had the same. And she hated it
very deeply. She built up her artistic career on the grace and beauty of the
hill women, who were living around her.
The virgin beauty and modesty of
Indian girls and women elegantly painted by Amrita Sher-Gil are the most
attractive features of her paintings. The colours Amrita used to depict the
pattern of the girls' sitting or standing postures helped to show movements
in the paintings. Her artworks witness the Indian culture in its essence.
Amrita's Personal Life: In her personal life, Amrita liked to be seen as a glamorous socialite. She was like this, and she wanted to be seen like this. But she had a special choice: she would wear a large coat made from rough cloth while painting in her room. her hairstyle was perfectly Indian. It was her habit, and she was fond of keeping her hair tightly pulled on the backside. this is the typical style of Indian women for keeping their hair stock.
