Indian Painting Art

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Meet the Famous
Painters of India
There is poetry in every artists’ life, in their
struggles, in their downfall, in their spur, in their
accomplishments, in their failures, in their
despair, in their mannerism, and in their story.
Being an artist is a self-taken choice that has its
repercussions and consequences along with its
rewards and wins. Still, the choice is taken by the
Bravehearts who dare to walk out of the crowd
because they believe they can shape their
imagination into words, paintings, songs, videos,
dance, etc. The journey of an artist can be full of
ups & downs, success & failures, good & bad
decisions, but it cannot be one thing; monotonous
or boring.
 India and Art
The spectra of art in India is as extensive as the history of this great nation. India, South-East Asia’s giant is famed for the richness and
versatility it holds in its cultural patrimony. The exquisite cave art and frescos of Ajanta and Ellora tells a tale of artistry excellence that resided
in India around 2 thousand years ago. Want to go further in past? Check out the cave paintings of Bhimbetka rock shelters (Madhya Pradesh)
that has more than 500 ancient and pre-ancient artworks. Some of the paintings of these caves are estimated to be 15000 years old. That’s just an
anticipation.

Coming to the ancient period, murals, cave art, and frescos were developed in different regions of India. The Gandhara School of Sculpture and
the Mahayana School of Buddhism existed around between 50 B.C. and 500 A.D. Along with this, Mathura School of Art also played an
eminent role in solidifying the stature of Indian art. Then there was Gupta Art (prominent during the Maurya rule). Post this, there was a
dominant Rajput Art era from 600 A.D. to 900 A.D. Several other artistic enchantments flourished in Orissa, Khajuraho, Rajasthan, and Madhya
Bharat, Gujarat and Kathiawar, Chola and Hoysala of Deccan and Vrindavan.

The medieval epoch saw the rise of Mughals in India. Although a lot of great artistic monuments were destroyed when Mughals invaded India,
art survived. Mughals themselves were greatly fond of paintings and they were the ones who made the fusion of Indian and Persian art. Mural
and miniature paintings thrived in India during this time period and continued to flourish until the British rule.
Unfortunately, no names of great artists ever bloomed or popularised during these time periods. It was so because
traditional art was only accessible by the elites of the society and the artists were never given the due accolades.

With the industrial revolution in France, things started to change for artists and the art world across the globe. Even India
was not spared from this transformation and suddenly a number of artists appeared and made a great contribution to the art
sector. Some of these artists were active in the 19 th century while a majority of these shined in the 20 th century. Now, if you
want to look at the famous Indian artists and their paintings, it will take you around 5 – 10 minutes maximum (on the web).

But there are few of the artists that laid a firm foundation on which today’s art of India stands comfortably.

Here are few masters of paintings that have made India proud owing to their skill and talent…
M.F.Husain
I have saved the best for the last. If anyone deserves to be
called ‘The Godfather of Contemporary Indian Art’, none
other than the prodigious, the sensational, the sui-generis, and
the swashbuckling Maqbool Fida Husain comes to my mind.
He was a complete artist who dared to step out of the ‘good
artist’ image and exposed the caustic, funny, serious, and
sombre appeal in his paintings.
 Husain was no less an Indian than you and me. It was just
that his contemporary take on Hindu deities was wrongly
comprehended by the conservative masses who castigate
his work. The criticism and the protest were such that
Husain was forced to leave India and flee to Qatar.

Amidst all the controversies and headlines, the life of

Husain was one hell of a ride. His creations were
displayed and gained attention on several international
stages. Several paintings of his were sold at more than a
million dollar mark. European and American media even
stepped up to call Husain as ‘Picasso of India’. IMHO, he
was the ‘Husain of India’. He was unique, he was
patriotic, he thought differently, he saw things with several
perspectives, and he was deeply attached to our roots..

‘Five Horses’ by M.F.Husain

Raja Ravi Varma

When we talk about the famous painters of India, Raja Ravi Varma leads
the list. Also termed as the “Father of Indian Modern Art”, Varma was the
very first artist from this great nation who earned notable stature and
appreciation at a global level.

Being a child of a writer mother and scholar father, it was no surprise that
Varma had a keen interest in painting since a tender age. He was born to
Umamba Thampuratti and Neelakanthan Bhattatiripad in the princely state
of Kilimanoor (Kerala) in 1948. He was seven only when he indicated that
an intense artist resided inside of him.

A young Varma started to paint exquisite depictions of mundane objects

like animals, routines of people, etc on the walls of his home. When he was
14 only, he moved to Thiruvananthapuram, to avail coaching in water
painting from Rama Naidu, his palace painter.
‘Shakuntala’ by Raja Ravi Varma
Varma, in most of his creations, focused on the beauty of South Indian Women and a
good part of his paintings’ theme revolved around the same. However, it was Varma’s
artwork on religious topics that gained him accolades at the global level. Varma won
his first prize at the Madras painting exhibition and in the year 1893, this impeccable
artist’s work was sold at World Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Raja Ravi Varma
was one of the most famous painters of India and the very first of his kind to gain a
global fame. For his contribution to art, then Viceroy Lord Curzon bestowed him with
the Kaisar-i-Hind Gold Medal.
A lot of people in those times, especially the folks from Bengal School of Art opposed
Raja Ravi
Varma because of his inspiration from western art styles. In reality, Varma did learn and
adopted the European techniques but each of his paintings was a pure depiction of
Indian soul and heritage. In fact, I personally admire Varma most, because he was the
first India artist who brought art closer to the masses and not just the selected section of
society. Varma’s most of the early creations were focused for the commoners and even
in his later stage of life, all his creations were meant to make common people recognize
the essence of art. India, no doubt, will be in debt to Raja Ravi Varma for his
contribution and learnings to art.
Thankyou