Picasso aptly stated that “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
Painting, a visual art form, reflects ideas, emotions and thoughts in two dimensions. You can buy contemporary art online, like Madhubani paintings or Paitkar paintings that are dated back to some 2,500 years ago. Such paintings had painted on floors and walls in ancient times, mostly during celebrations. They served as a medium through which we found ancient festivities, rituals, and customs.
The painting evolved with time like other art forms. There is a distinct type of painting which can earmark every period of Indian History and our rich cultural heritage. You can buy art online to enrich the aesthetic of a particular place.
The article mentions some of the great Indian masterpieces of modern times by the most accomplished Indian painters.
5 Famous Indian Paintings
1. Bharat Mata – Abanindranath Tagore
Abanindranath Tagore initiated the Bengal School of Art. One of his most iconic paintings is Bharat Mata, the saffron-clad woman, clad in the garments of sadhvi, holding a book, a piece of white cloth, sheaves of paddy, and a garland in her four hands.
The painting has its History as well as an emotional value. Which became enormously popular amongst the nationalists in those days when governor Lord Curzon planned to bifurcate Bengal. Sister Nivedita desired to carry it from Kashmir to Kanyakumari to inculcate nationalist fervour among the mass of the country.
2. Horses – M F Husain
Maqbool Fida Husain, the prolific Indian painter, relished portraying the vivacity and free spirit of horses in his several artworks early in his painting career till his death. The maestro captures the energy and power of three horses on his canvas through aggressive outlines. That define the powerful beasts in full gallop. This is count as one of the distinguish works of Hussain, which placed on auction at Christie’s in 2008 that earned over INR 1 crore.
3. Shakuntala – Raja Ravi Verma
Raja Ravi Varma is a celebrated South Indian painter whose portrayal of Shakuntala is an epic. Here he depicts Shakuntala, a significant character of Mahabaratha, feigning to eliminate a thorn while staring for her lover/husband, Dushyantha, when her friends call her bluff.
Tapati Guha Thakurta, an eminent art historian, described the gesture as a narrative that provokes the imagination of events and sequences. The character with the twist and turn of head and body portrays a sequence of images and events. The painting stands like a frozen tableau which plucked out of an on-running spectacle of events.
4. Dandi March Bapuji – Nandlal Bose
Mahatma Gandhi regarded as the greatest freedom fighter the world has ever seen. Gandhi, affectionately called Bapu, has been used by several contemporary artists both in India and abroad. The legendary artist of Shantiniketan asserted that Bapu was a motivation for all artists.
His outstanding linocut portrait of the Mahatma, titled ‘Dandi March’ with the legend Bapuji inscribed on it. That created in 1930. The art piece indicates his admiration for Gandhi, which is on permanent display at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi.
5. Three Pujarins – Jamini Roy
Jamini Roy, the celebrated Bengali artist, created a masterwork with the painting of three almond-eyed priestesses for his canvas named Three Pujarins. Inspired by the Bengal folk art tradition, he explored an individual style of painting, experimenting with vibrant colours and giving birth to artworks that were a visual feast. Roy counted as one of the best among the early twentieth-century Indian artists.
Takeaway
A few special art pieces transcend time and culture and claim their genuine place in art history. For years, such paintings have seized the interest of art lovers, not just because of the aesthetics but because they carry a story within. Every brush stroke or drop of colour gives birth to a narrative on the canvas. Since artists should not be defined by origin, age, race, or caste, the above-mentioned artists have immense contributions to the world of art.
