History’s phases, empires’ rise and fall, and India’s vast cultural and geographical variety have resulted in some amazing creative forms, making Indian art, craft, and architecture a treasure. This art and architecture have undoubtedly given rise to some of the most Famous Indian Paintings that are a part of our legacy. Their beauty has undoubtedly added to our country’s enormous notoriety.
Famous Indian Paintings
Indian art is not a physical replica of nature, but rather a spiritual imitation of nature. It is basically in terms of how it is constructed within itself and attempts to attain harmony with the geometry of existence. In India, art is when the spiritual dimension of life’s energy geometry is translated so that humans can experience it in this realm.
Painting, like other kinds of art, may elicit emotions, provoke thought, and even inspire pride. Artists may either document history or tell a tale, or they can do both. Painting is not only an art form, but it is also one of the oldest. The painting was the finest tool for image-creation — creating pictures before the development of photography.
Here are a few of the famous Indian paintings that perfectly portray our culture, virtues, and traditions. These paintings are really stunning, and the greatest part is that, unlike now, there were few items to paint over, yet it didn’t stop those painters from creating masterpieces.
Bharat Mata
BY – Abanindranath Tagore
ABOUT – Abanindranath Tagore, an Indian painter, painted Bharat Mata in 1905. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, on the other hand, made the artwork in the 1870s. In her four hands, a saffron-clad woman clothed as a sadhvi holds a book, paddy sheaves, a piece of white cloth, and a rudraksha garland (mala).
Dandi March (Bapuji)
BY – Nandlal Bose
ABOUT – Nandalal Bose was a student of Abanindranath Tagore and was well-known for his paintings in the “Indian style.” Nandalal Bose illustrated Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March in a painting. It was a demonstration in which Gandhi was battling the British for imposing a salt tax. Nandalal Bose made a black and white linocut print of Mahatma Gandhi walking during the protest to commemorate the date of the Dandi march and to show solidarity. It is among the most famous Indian paintings
Shakuntala
BY – Raja Ravi Verma
ABOUT – Shakuntala, or Shakuntala in search of Dushyanta, is an epic artwork by Raja Ravi Varma, an Indian painter. Ravi Varma portrays Shakuntala, a Mahabharata figure, trying to remove a thorn from her foot while actually searching for her husband/lover, Dushyantha, as her pals mock her.
Mahishasura
BY – Tyeb Mehta
ABOUT – After Tyeb’s visit to Shantiniketan, the series Mahishasura began. The account of the Brahmin Demon-King Rambha producing an invincible son by his marriage with a she-buffalo is told in Mahishasura, which is heavily inspired by ancient mythology and Hindu literature. Mehta combines old iconography with the simplicity of form, color, and line to create profoundly contemporary pieces that are full of new vigor.
Self-portrait
BY – Amrita Sher Gil
ABOUT – Amrita Sher Gill, a well-known painter, began painting self-portraits in the 1930s. These self pictures also highlighted her many emotions like joy, solemn, and reflection. The one below perfectly reflects her sexy and vivacious personality. She was one of the first Indian artists to create work that was both traditional and contemporary.
Three Pujarins
BY – Jamini Roy
ABOUT – Jamini Roy was an Indian painter who lived from 1887 until 1972. He was a prominent figure in the history of Indian art in the twentieth century. His paintings are mostly concerned with the traditional Bengali lifestyle. Three Pujarins, a painting by him, displays senior Bengali ladies dressed in traditional indigo sarees. The saree’s Indigo hue has historical importance since it relates to the Indigo revolt against the British government.
Self-portrait
BY – Rabindranath Tagore
ABOUT – His art is basic, raw, and gritty, with forceful structures and rhythms. The artist portrays himself as an elderly, bearded artist, full of wisdom and knowledge in this self-portrait. A one-of-a-kind portrait of a genius. It is among the very underrated famous Indian paintings.
Horses
BY – Maqbool Fida Husain
ABOUT – A chaotic gallop is portrayed here, with four horses’ graceful movements showcasing enormous strength, demonstrating Husain’s ability to express movement through his lines. He was recognized for finishing a piece in one sitting, making him one of India’s best draughtsmen. The lines were made directly with a paintbrush, just like the ink scroll paintings, allowing no opportunity for error.
Krishna (Spring in Kulu)
BY – Nicholas Roerich
ABOUT – Nicholas Roerich was a Russian painter, writer, archaeologist, and theosophist who was affected by a spiritual movement in Russian culture during his youth. Nicholas, a Russian artist, painted Krishna Spring in Kulu in 1930. Krishna is shown playing the flute in the shade of a tree against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains in this picture.
Brahmacharis
BY – Amrita Sher-Gil
ABOUT – Amrita Sher-Gil created the artwork Brahmacharis in 1937. Three brahmacharis men with two children sit on the ground in this picture by an Indian artist. Brahmachari is a Hindu term for a man who maintains brahmacharya.
Bengal Women
BY – Manishi Dey
ABOUT – Manishi Dey was a Shantiniketan pupil of Abanindranath Tagore. As a result, Dey’s paintings focused on promoting India’s traditional cultural heritage. Around 1950, Manishi Day painted Bengal Women. It perfectly encapsulates the spirit of rural Bengali ladies.
Days of glory
BY – Satish Gujral
ABOUT – Satish Gujral was a well-known painter who received the Padma Vibhushan award. However, his work encompasses more than just painting. It includes writing, painting murals, and sculpting. In 1952, he produced Days of Glory. It’s a black-and-white piece. And, during the partition of India and Pakistan, he observed human feelings of grief, suffering, and tragedy.
Ankuran
BY – S.H.Raza
ABOUT – In the year 1987, S.H. Raza painted this unique painting called Ankuran. Usually, Ankuran depicts paintings that are abstract and geometrical. Instead of creative emotions in human figures or landscapes, this picture, like all of his others, features a “Bindu.” According to him, “Bindu” is the source of all creative force in the cosmos.
Glow of Hope
BY – S L Haldankar
ABOUT – A young, demure girl stayed still for three hours with a light in her hand seventy years ago. She was posing for her father, S L Haldankar, who was working on a piece of art. Lady with the Lamp or Glow of Hope, a watercolor masterpiece. The painting’s sensitivity, simplicity, soft and subtle hues, as well as the ethereal representation of light reflecting from the fingers, have made it a highly acclaimed and one of the famous Indian paintings.
