Amrita Sher Gil
ABOUT
Hungarian-Indian painter
Painter | India
Born in 1913
Died in 1941
Amrita was the first female Indian painter. She began drawing from a very early age and became one of the greatest avant-garde women artists of the early 20th century. She is celebrated as a pioneer in modern Indian art. Her painting titled ‘Young Girls’ garnered her attention that too at the age of just 19 years. She received her education at Grande Chaumiere École des Beaux-Arts (1930–34). Amrita’s works reflected the Western influence and her technique was similar to the practices in the Bohemian circles during the initial stages of her career. While in Paris, she came up with several paintings depicting her own life in Paris. She often used her friends as her subjects. She also ended up with self-portraits. Among her works, the best ones were ‘Village Scene’, ‘Siesta’, and ‘In the Ladies' Enclosure’, all of which represented the poor state of the unprivileged and women in the country.