Modern and Contemporary Indian Art
Scope
Modern and contemporary Indian art runs from the late 19th century to the present. The exam tests movements, artists, media and the shift from revivalism to modernism and contemporary practice.
Key figures
Raja Ravi Varma (1848–1906) used oil and academic realism for mythological subjects; his oleographs circulated widely. The Bengal School, led by Abanindranath Tagore, promoted swadeshi, wash technique and Mughal and Rajput references; Nandalal Bose worked at Santiniketan. Jamini Roy drew on Kalighat pat and folk simplification. Amrita Sher-Gil combined Post-Impressionist colour with Indian subjects.
The Progressive Artists' Group (founded 1947 in Bombay) included F.N. Souza, S.H. Raza, M.F. Husain, V.S. Gaitonde and Tyeb Mehta; they sought a post-colonial modernism. The Baroda School includes K.G. Subramanyan and Bhupen Khakhar. Contemporary figures include Nalini Malani, Anish Kapoor, Subodh Gupta and Atul Dodiya.
Worked example
A Jamini Roy painting of a woman has flat, rounded forms, thick outlines and earth colours. Reasoning: the flatness and contour recall Kalighat pat and folk idioms; the earth palette rejects academic oil naturalism; the simplified form carries a nationalist search for an indigenous modern language. Naming Kalighat and the Bengal School context is essential.
Traps
Do not call Ravi Varma a Bengal School artist. The PAG was founded in 1947, not 1900. Jamini Roy was not a PAG member. Amrita Sher-Gil died in 1941, before the PAG. Do not confuse Anish Kapoor (sculpture, Turner Prize) with Subodh Gupta (found objects, steel utensils).