Modern Indian Artworks: Blending Tradition and Innovation for Social Insights

Modern Indian art of the 20th century has witnessed impactful works that resonate with profound social insights. Artists of this era blend tradition and innovation, addressing societal challenges through diverse mediums.

Modern Indian Artworks: Showcasing Artistic Marvels in a Blend of Tradition and Innovation

• Modern Indian Artwork: The Lives of Medieval Saints by Benode Behari Mukherjee
  • Benode Behari Mukherjee: He created the mural “The Lives of Medieval Saints” in Hindi Bhavana, Shantiniketan, around the time of India’s independence in 1946-1947. 
  • Features:  This mural, covering nearly 23 meters of the upper half of three room walls, is a stunning example of the fresco buono technique.
    • Despite his poor eyesight, Mukherjee sketched directly on the walls without preliminary compositional sketches. 
  • Medieval Saints Live: The mural depicts the lives of medieval saints and reflects the syncretic and tolerant tradition of Indian life, as inspired by Bhakti poets like Ramanuja, Kabir, Tulsidas, and Surdas.
  • Characteristic: The artwork is characterized by a modern style, with each figure composed of minimal lines. 
    • Yet, there is a rhythmic network of lines connecting each figure, resembling a woven tapestry, a craft often associated with the saints depicted.
  • Benode Behari Mukherjee was one of the early artists in modern India to recognize the potential of murals as a form of public art.

• Modern Indian Artwork: M.F. Husain’s Tribute to Mother Teresa

• • M. F. Husain: He  created this painting in the 1980s, paying tribute to the saintly figure, Mother Teresa, in the artist’s distinctive style that represents a new language of modern Indian art. 
  • Features: The painting features the figure of Mother Teresa several times, each time holding a baby with a strong focus on her hands. 
    • Reminiscent of Michelangelo’s Pieta: In the center, Mother Teresa is seated, cradling a grown-up man on her lap in a horizontal position, reminiscent of Michelangelo’s Pieta.
  • Blended Art: Husain’s art combines elements of traditional European art, such as the Pieta, with modern flat shapes that resemble paper cutouts. 
  • Interpretative Art: The artist does not aim for a realistic depiction of Mother Teresa’s life but instead provides suggestive imagery. 
  • Viewers are invited to interpret the narrative through the clues left by the artist. 

• The presence of a kneeling woman in the scene hints at the story’s setting in India and conveys the theme of healing and caring for the helpless.

• Haldi Grinder: Amrita Sher-Gil’s Fusion of Tradition and Modern Indian Art
  • Amrita Sher-Gil: Created in 1940, Amrita Sher-Gil’s Modern Indian art titled ‘Haldi Grinder’ reflects her quest for inspiration in India’s serene rural settings. 
  • Features: The Modern Indian artwork portrays Indian women engaged in the traditional activity of grinding dry turmeric and is executed in an Indian style. 
    • Vibrant Colours: Sher-Gil employs vibrant, rich pigments to capture the essence of the scene.
    • Fusion of Art: Despite her European modern art training, Sher-Gil draws parallels between North Indian miniature traditions and the work of the artist she admired, Paul Gauguin. 
    • Examples: This influence is evident in her use of close-knit, bright colour patches that define figures through color contrast rather than outlines, akin to the style seen in Basohli’s paintings from North India.
  • Flat Shape Painting: In ‘Haldi Grinder,’ both the women and trees are depicted as flat shapes, and Sher-Gil consciously avoids creating depth in the landscape. 
  • Reflects Cultural Modernity: Instead, she embraces a semi-abstract pattern, showcasing her identity as a modern artist deeply rooted in Indian artistic traditions.

• Purvapalli”: K. G. Subramanyan’s Imaginative Journey in Modern Indian Art

• • K. G. Subramanyan: Created in 1986 by K. G. Subramanyan, “Purvapalli” is a Modern Indian art that reflects the work of a prolific artist, scholar, teacher, and art historian. 
    • Subramanyan draws inspiration from various art traditions found in India and around the world.
  • Features: The title of the artwork refers to his home in Purvapalli, Shantiniketan, a place that seems to serve as the launching point for his imaginative journey across the globe. 
    • Coexistence of Humans and Nature: In this imaginative landscape, humans coexist with birds, animals, and peculiar trees that bear feathers instead of leaves. 
    • Sketchy Painting Style: Subramanyan’s painting style is sketchy, featuring quick brush strokes and an earthy palette of ochres, greens, and browns.
    • Urban Folk Art Elements: The male and female figures depicted at the top of the painting evoke elements of urban folk art, reminiscent of the Kalighat paintings popular in Colonial Calcutta during the late nineteenth century.
    • Flat Space Characteristic: Additionally, the arrangement of figures on top of one another creates a flat space, characteristic of modern art. 
  • Unique Artistic Blend: “Purvapalli” embodies Subramanyan’s unique blend of diverse art traditions, showcasing his imaginative and artistic prowess.

• “Whirlpool”: Krishna Reddy’s Innovations in Modern Indian Art Printmaking

• • Krishna Reddy: Created in 1963 by the celebrated Indian printmaker Krishna Reddy, “Whirlpool” is a remarkable print that showcases an intricate composition predominantly in shades of blue. 
  • Features:  The artwork employs a new technique in printmaking called “viscosity printing,” which Reddy co-developed with renowned printmaker Stanley William Hayter in the renowned studio known as ‘Atelier 17.’
    • Viscosity Printing Technique: In viscosity printing, different colors are applied to the same metal printing plate, with each color mixed with linseed oil in varying concentrations to ensure that colours do not run into each other.
    • Mimicking Water and Oil: This technique mimics the behavior of water and oil, making it apt for the subject matter of the print, which revolves around water currents.
  • It is a celebrated print held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA.