(30 January, 1913 – 5 December, 1941)
Amrita Sher-Gil was born in Budapest, Hungary,1913. She was a Hungarian-Indian painter, and declared a National Treasure artist by the Government of India. Her mother was a Hungarian Opera singer, and her father Umrao Singh Sher-Gil belonged to an Aristocrat Sikh family. She started the formal studies in art at the age of 8 Major Whitmarsh. She later joined classes to study painting under an artist named Beven Pateman. Sher-Gil showed an early talent for art and began formal training in painting at the age of eight.
In 1929, she moved to Paris to study at the École des Beaux-Arts (School of Fine Arts). During her time in Paris, she was influenced by European artists like Paul Cézanne and Paul Gauguin. Her work from this period reflects a blend of Western techniques and styles with Indian themes and subjects.
Sher-Gil was greatly influenced by the beautiful wall paintings in the Ajanta Caves in western India. She tried to blend the style of these ancient Indian artworks with the European oil painting techniques she learned while studying in Paris. This combination created a unique and special look in her paintings.
Sher-Gil was exceptional with colors, used bright and bold colors in her paintings, unlike the softer, pale colors that were popular with other artists of her time. This made her work unique and distinctive. Always eager to try new things, Sher-Gil looked to 17th-century Mughal miniatures for inspiration, applying their sense of composition and colour to the formal system, developed from the Ajanta paintings. Her style evolved as she sought to capture the essence of India and its people. She drew inspiration from traditional Indian art forms, including Mughal miniatures and Pahari paintings, as well as from the everyday life and struggles of Indian villagers. Her vibrant use of color and bold compositions set her apart from her contemporaries.
In her effort to create a unique artistic style, Sher-Gil decided to return to India. She travelled across the country, visiting Bombay and going further south to explore places like the caves of Ajanta and Ellora. She wanted to understand and depict the diverse cultures of India. She focused on capturing the lives of Indians, especially those who were poor, using her own way of painting. This approach led her to create many famous paintings in her relatively short career.
Sher-Gil’s style in the self-portrait reflects her ability to synthesize Western and Indian artistic traditions. While she was trained in the academic traditions of European art, she was deeply influenced by Indian art and culture. This fusion is evident in the realistic rendering of her features combined with the vibrant, expressive use of colour and abstract background, reminiscent of Indian miniature paintings and traditional Indian art forms.
Sher-Gil was indeed a pioneer in many ways, one of the first women artists to create a naked self-portrait. This extraordinary boldness move reflected her fearless approach to art and also broke all the social norms. A powerful portrayal of herself, showcasing her self-confidence and artistic growth.
Amrita Sher-Gil passed away at the age of 28. Her last unfinished works reveal a move toward abstraction and incorporate colours even richer than those seen in her previous pieces.
