After India’s independence, modern Indian art underwent unshakable change. This began with the founding of the Progressive artist group in 1947. It signaled an unconventional departure from the colonial academic traditions and revivalist tendencies of the Bengali school. Artists like FN Souza, SH Raza, MF Husain and KH Ara were of the opinion to create a modern visual language that is rooted in Indian reality but is also no stranger to international modernism. Her work shaped the early narrative of modern Indian art.
But the story of India’s modern movement has long been told through a narrow lens. One in which female artists were underrepresented and lacked the recognition they clearly deserved. This discussion remains relevant today as women artists in India continue to fight for representation on a global stage.
Indian modernism in the art spectrum was not the product of any single group or ideology. Rather, it has developed through multiple artistic voices. Many of them are women whose practices have brought personal, introspective and politically resonant perspectives to the art field. Today, during Women’s History Month, we will reflect, reflect, and remember five of these artists.
1. Nasreen Mohamed
Karachi-based abstract artist Nasreen Mohamedi was known for her minimalist works. She developed her own visual vocabulary from her personal experiences. The recurring motifs in her works are the precise lines, geometric structures and subtle tones. In her works she dealt with silence, order and geometric rhythm. Through the use of restraint and discipline, she developed an independent modernist language. And today her works are considered significant contributions to modern and contemporary Indian art.
Nasreen Mohamed
2. Amrita Sher-Gil
Pioneer of modern Indian art, Amrita Sher Gil is known for combining European techniques with Indian themes in her paintings. She was very often considered India’s first modernist painter and remains so today. This was because she introduced a new artistic language into the Indian painting style. In her works she explored women’s feelings, identity and quiet introspection, which were very rare in the early 20th century. Her selected color palette and simplified forms, as well as her unique perspectives on the nature of a woman’s social reality, shaped the direction of modern Indian painting.
Amrita Sher Gil
3. Pilloo Pochkhanawala
The modernist sculptor Pilloo Pochkhanawala was known for her monumental abstract works. She began her artistic career later, but was a self-taught artist open to experimentation, particularly with new forms. Theater sets and detailed drawings were two other media that Piloo used to express her visions. Her sculptures, which became her trademark and gained her recognition, were often made from industrial materials such as stainless steel and aluminum. This was due to her fascination with science, technology and the possibilities of the space age, a fantastical exploration of the spirit of modernity.
Pilloo Pochkhanawala
4. Nalini Malani
Nalini Malani comes from the first generation of video artists and has worked in various media. She is inspired by mythology, literature and history and reinterprets them for her art from a feminist perspective. The multi-layered narratives in her immersive installations are a combination of moving images and sound. Malani has also worked in other media such as theater and back painting on acrylic. In her work she deals with the topics of gender, violence, displacement and political conflicts. Malani’s work challenges the viewer to reflect on social injustice, memory and human suffering.
Nalini Malani
5. Anjolie Ela Menon
Modern artist Anjolie Ela Menon is known for shaping the modern figurative tradition in Indian art. The mood of her paintings is calm and introspective, often depicting lonely figures, saints, women and figurative characters. Menon developed a unique technique of thin, translucent layers of oil paint on hard surfaces such as hardboard. Another unique aspect of her work is the way her figures appear with elongated shapes reminiscent of almond-shaped eyes. They possess a sense of spiritual stillness reminiscent of medieval and Byzantine icons.
Anjolie Ela Menon
The lives and work of these artists need to be addressed, celebrated and discussed as we live in a future-oriented and more inclusive world today. So that the next generation of women artists remember that they too can reshape the history of Indian modernity. Her artistic contribution also reflects the view that the history of modern Indian art is far more diverse than our basic understanding of India’s modern art movement.