Hues and Shades of Women Artists

Indian omen artists, working in different periods, have inspired many others of their ilk to use their creative talent to illustrate key issues of the world. All of these women used or are using a variety of styles to create masterpieces

Women have left a mark in every field of activity. There is no male-specific bastion today in which women have no representation. Art, or the finer aspect of it, is no exception to this. Some of the most successful artists from India, who are known for their innovation, are women. The varied works of these female artists explore a plethora of themes and subjects ranging from identity and memory to politics, history and contemporary culture.

In the following gallery, we give brief sketches of women artists that India has produced over the decades, including one who was active in the 17th century. These artists, working in different periods, have inspired many others of their ilk to use their creative talent to illustrate key issues of the world. All of these women used or are using a variety of styles to create masterpieces. Their works have brought a fair name to Indian art over the centuries and decades.

Sahifa Begum

Mughal princess Sahifa Begum gained fame during Jahangir's reign as a woman painter. Other notable women artists who wielded the brush between 1599 and 1605 included Nini, Nadira Banu, Khurshid Banu and Rabiya Banu.

Amrita Sher-Gil

Often referred to as India's Frida Kahlo, Amrita Sher-Gil is the most celebrated among all contemporary Indian artists. The Paris-trained artist who was initially inspired by the likes of Paul Gaugin, turned to the Ajanta murals and the Mughal miniatures on her return to India. Born in Hungary, Sher-Gil toured diverse countries like Turkey, France, etc, throughout her life and learnt about their cultures. A keen observer of mundane life, Sher-Gil explored the female body in a unique light. She was known for her expert use of the chiaroscuro technique. Sher-Gil shot to fame with her oil painting titled 'Young Girls' in 1932.

Meera Mukherjee

A prolific sculptor of the post-Independence era, Meera Mukherjee spent years learning metal casting and Dhokra at Bastar village in present-day Chhattisgarh. She perfected this tribal folk art and made it her own by using imagery and patterns while retaining the original form of lost-wax casting method. Mukherjee was not even afraid of casting gigantic figures. Her works opened up a world of possibilities. Mukherjee made sculptures to depict common chores of ordinary people like fishermen, weavers and other workers. She received the Padma Shri in 1992 for her immense contribution to art.

Nasreen Mohamedi

A pioneer of abstract art, Nasreen Mohamedi eyed the details like no one else did. "Dekho, dekho, ek din dikhega (observe, observe, one day you will see)," she would tell her students and admirers. And yet Mohamedi's works epitomise simplicity and minimalism. She used such simple forms as lines to depict complex realities like time, space, human life and nature.

Arpita Singh

Another notable exponent of contemporary art, Arpita Singh uses bright colours and traditional forms and aesthetics in her paintings, drawing attention as well as admiration. She captures the life of real women and depicts their emotions. Singh is admired for increasing the visual spectrum of contemporary women. She has won accolades galore, including the coveted Padma Bhushan in 2011.

Bharti Kher

Born in London, Bharti Kher has carved a niche as a contemporary artist of repute back in India. Her artwork combines painting, sculpture and installation. A lot of her sculptures feature the bindi, the forehead decoration worn by women in India. Kher is a past master in the art of depicting misinterpretation, misconceptions, conflict, multiplicity and contradiction, exploring human drama and contemporary life.

Hema Upadhyay

Through photography and sculptural installations, Hema Upadhyay explores concepts of personal identity, nostalgia and gender. Her works also depict phobias, shortcomings and other real or imaginative aspects. Upadhyay often turns the focus on Mumbai, a metro city with its multiculturalism emanating from urban migration.

Nalini Malani

Born in Karachi, Nalini Malani moved to India following the Partition. She was among the first to highlight feminist issues through her works in the 1980s. Her paintings and drawings carry messages, winning her global acclaim. Malani also makes artistic videos and creates installations and theatre work. Her works are inspired by literature, mythology, history and personal life. She juxtaposes tradition with modernist elements to create her oeuvre of drawings, paintings, projected animation, shadow play, video and film.

Anjali Ela Menon

Known for her erotic works, Anjali Ela Menon uses vibrant colours and thin washes to create portraits and nudes. Though her preferred medium is oil on masonite, she has also experimented with computer graphics and Murano glass. Many of Menon's works carry European influences like Cubism.

Shilpa Gupta

An interdisciplinary practitioner of art, Shilpa Gupta uses interactive video, photography and installation, often involving an audience. Her subjects include consumer culture, security, religion, nationalism and human rights. As a new generation artist, Gupta's works deal with responses to India's post-colonial societal divides.

Zarina Hashmi

As a creator of abstract art, Zarina Hashmi uses paper as her primary medium and a minimal vocabulary richly imbued with associations. She makes use of her experience of exiled living and highlights the concept of home whether that is personal, geographical, national, spiritual, or familial.

Rina Banerjee

Drawing from her rich experience of living in mixed cultural and racial locations, Rina Banerjee has created multimedia works which showcase a love for substance, fabric and texture. Her oeuvre includes colourful textiles, fashion trinkets, colonial artefacts, furnishings and organic materials.

Dayanita Singh

Using photography as a medium, Dayanita Singh narrates curious facets of everyday life and gives visual expression to a landscape which is both real and imaginary. She portrays both the upper-class person and the underprivileged one, giving a panoramic view of contemporary India.

Reena Saini Kallat

Dealing with the perennial cycles of nature and the fragility of the human condition, Reena Saini Kallat often experiments with multiple media in a single piece of art. Her recurrent motif is the rubber stamp, a symbol of bureaucratic control.

Sheela Gowda

Another artist who depicts urban and rural India, Sheela Gowda uses recycled objects and materials like cow dung, turmeric, incense, etc, to produce her works. Her media include sculpture, installation art and photography.

Also Read: Help your kid deal with fears

Also Watch: